Rebeca Cheptegei’s murderer dies in hospital.

Dickson Ndiema, the ex-lover of Ugandan athlete Rebeca Cheptegei, has passed away at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret. 

The hospital confirmed that Ndiema died Monday night in the ICU, where he had been admitted following severe burns sustained in an attack on Cheptegei.

A few days earlier, Cheptegei had also succumbed to her injuries at the same hospital. 

Ndiema attacked her at her home in Trans Nzoia, dousing her with petrol and setting her on fire. 

Cheptegei suffered burns covering over 80 per cent of her body, while Ndiema sustained burns on more than 30 per cent of his body.

Cheptegei, a member of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), will be buried on Saturday in Bukwo, Eastern Uganda, with full military honours. 

Her family, led by her father Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, confirmed they are working with both the Kenyan and Ugandan governments to ensure she receives a proper send-off.

A postmortem on Cheptegei’s body will be conducted at the hospital on Wednesday.

“The hospital asked us to have the postmortem done and we accepted because it will help us to know what led to her death and also it will be part of closure for us as we mourn her death,” said Mzee Cheptegei.

After the postmortem, the body will be removed from the morgue on Thursday morning and handed to the family and UPDF and later escorted to her home in Endebes Trans Nzoia where it will stay for a night vigil.

“She lived there, and we will give residents time to pay her last respects and also for prayers,” he said.

Come Friday the body will be taken by road to Bukwo in Uganda for another overnight vigil ahead of burial on Saturday.

Top officials from the two countries are expected to attend the funeral. 

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