The man who attacked Ugandan Olympian runner Rebecca Cheptegei has died from injuries sustained during the brutal incident. The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Kenya, confirmed on Tuesday that Dickson Ndiema Marangach, who set fire to Cheptegei in a horrific act of violence, succumbed to his injuries after days in intensive care.
The assault occurred on September 1 at Cheptegei’s home in western Kenya. Police reports indicate that Marangach, who had been involved in an ongoing dispute with Cheptegei, doused her with petrol before setting her ablaze. Cheptegei, a mother of two, suffered burns on 80 percent of her body and died last week as a result of her injuries. Marangach, who also sustained burns during the attack, had been in critical condition with 30 percent burns but passed away late Monday evening.
“It’s true, we lost Dickson Ndiema last night around 8:00 p.m.,” confirmed a hospital source who requested anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the case. The source added that the hospital is preparing a comprehensive statement on the incident, but Marangach’s family has already been notified of his death.
The violent death of 33-year-old Rebecca Cheptegei has shocked both Uganda and Kenya, highlighting the disturbing trend of gender-based violence (GBV) in East Africa. The attack on Cheptegei is yet another example of the widespread issue of femicide, which has claimed the lives of several prominent athletes in recent years.
Cheptegei, who had recently made her Olympic debut in the women’s marathon at the Paris Games, finishing 44th, was a rising star in Ugandan athletics. Her untimely death has triggered an outpouring of grief and outrage. The Ugandan Olympic Committee has announced that her burial will take place on September 14 near her family home in eastern Uganda.
According to local media reports, Cheptegei’s daughters witnessed the heinous act, making the situation all the more heartbreaking. Police investigations revealed that Marangach slipped into Cheptegei’s home in Endebess, near the Ugandan border, while she and her children were at church. He had reportedly purchased five liters of petrol, which he hid in a chicken cage on the property, before launching the deadly attack.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, provided additional details to reporters, describing the ongoing conflict between his daughter and Marangach, which centered around the ownership of the property where Cheptegei lived with her sister and daughters. He recalled the chilling moments of the attack, saying, “He poured the petrol and set her on fire. When she called her sister for help, he threatened her with a machete, and she fled.”
Authorities confirmed that the couple had experienced frequent domestic disputes in the past. Unfortunately, like many victims of gender-based violence, Cheptegei’s struggles ended in tragedy.
The attack has drawn renewed attention to the epidemic of violence against women in Kenya and the broader East African region. According to the most recent United Nations data, violence against women remains pervasive in Kenya, with 725 femicide cases reported in 2022 alone. A 2023 report from Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics further revealed that 34 percent of women in the country have suffered physical violence since the age of 15.
