A Kenyan hospital on Tuesday, September 10, announced that Dickson Ndiema Marangach, the man responsible for attacking Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei, has died from injuries he sustained during the assault.
According to Kenyan police, Marangach attacked Cheptegei at her home in western Kenya on Sunday, September 1, by pouring petrol on her. Cheptegei, a mother of two, suffered severe burns covering 80 percent of her body and died last week.
Marangach, who also sustained burns on 30 percent of his body during the attack, had been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Rift Valley, Kenya.
“It’s true we lost Dickson Ndiema last night at about 8:00 pm,” an official at the hospital’s communications department said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the press.
An official has confirmed that Dickson Ndiema Marangach’s family has been informed of his death, and a detailed statement will be issued later.
The attack on 33-year-old Rebecca Cheptegei has elicited widespread grief and outrage, drawing attention to the persistent problem of gender-based violence in East Africa. Since 2021, at least two other athletes in the region have been murdered by their partners.
Cheptegei, who was set to be buried on Saturday, September 14, near her family home in eastern Uganda, had recently made her Olympic debut in the women’s marathon at the Paris Games, where she finished 44th.
Police reports indicate that Marangach entered Cheptegei’s home in Endebess, close to the Uganda-Kenya border, while she and her children were at church. The attack was reportedly witnessed by her daughters.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, stated that the conflict between his daughter and Marangach was related to a property dispute involving her residence with her sister and daughters. He also revealed that Marangach had purchased five litres of petrol and concealed himself in a chicken coop before executing the attack.
“He poured the petrol and lit her on fire. When she called her sister to help, he threatened her with a machete and she ran away.”
Police have revealed that the couple had a history of frequent domestic disputes.
Violence against women is a critical issue in Kenya, where the United Nations reported 725 cases of femicide in 2022. Additionally, a 2023 report from Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics found that 34 percent of women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.
Cheptegei’s death underscores a troubling trend, following the murders of record-breaking Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop in 2021 and Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Mutua in 2022. In both cases, their former partners were implicated. Tirop’s estranged partner, who denies the charges, is currently on trial.
