Man accused of murdering Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei ‘dies of burns’

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The former partner of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who is accused of dousing her with petrol and setting her on fire, has died in hospital from burns she sustained in the attack, sources said.

Cheptegei, 33, who competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, suffered burns to more than 75 percent of her body in the attack on September 1 and died four days later at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. Her alleged killer died Monday night in the intensive care unit of the same hospital, The Star reported.

She is the third top athlete to be murdered in Kenya since October 2021. Her death has once again drawn attention to domestic violence in the East African country.

Police in northwestern Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, confirmed an investigation into her death was underway. Authorities said Cheptegei and her ex-boyfriend had a dispute over land before she was set alight.

The athlete will be buried in Uganda on Saturday. She will receive a military funeral. Top officials from both Kenya and Uganda are expected to attend the funeral.

An autopsy will be performed on Cheptegei’s body at the hospital on Wednesday.

Her father Mzee Joseph Cheptegei said the family hoped the autopsy would “help us find out what led to her death”.

“The hospital asked us to do an autopsy and we accepted because it will help us find out what led to her death and it will also be a way for us to get closure on her death,” he said.

In 2021, Agnes Tirop, a rising star in Kenyan track and field and a two-time world championship bronze medalist, was found dead in her home with stab wounds to her neck. Her husband was charged with murder, but pleaded not guilty and the case is ongoing.

In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee Mutua was found dead. An autopsy report revealed that she had been strangled. Mutua’s boyfriend was identified as the prime suspect and police are still looking for him.

Tirop’s death at the age of 25 shocked Kenya and prompted current and former athletes to set up the non-profit organization Tirop’s Angels to combat domestic violence against women and girls.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic murder of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei,” said a social media post from Tirop’s Angels last week.

“Another life lost to gender-based violence. Tirop’s Angels condemns this heinous act and calls for swift justice.”