Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has passed on.

Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has passed on.

The mother of two passed away after suffering severe burn injuries at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret.

Cheptegei had sustained 80 percent burn injuries after her alleged boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, attacked her by dousing her in petrol and setting her on fire. 

The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over land in Trans Nzoia.

Despite the efforts of the medical team, including intensive care treatment, all of Cheptegei’s organs failed, leading to her death. 

Dr. Owen Menach, the acting Director of MTRH, confirmed her passing and noted that the hospital would provide a full report on the matter later. 

“Unfortunately, we lost her after all her organs failed last night,” said Dr Menach

Marangach, who also sustained burns during the attack, was admitted to the same ICU with around 30 percent burns.

Cheptegei’s father, Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, clarified that the two were not in a romantic relationship but were just friends, and the attack seemed to be related to the land dispute. 

“They were just friends and I wonder why he wanted to take away things belonging to my daughter,” Mzee Cheptegei stated.

The father said the two had a case which was being investigated by the DCI.

He said the athlete has two children whose father is a different person living in Uganda.

Mzee Cheptegei said the two had separated for long but on Sunday the Marangach sneaked into the home where he staged the attack.

For more news updates, tune in to NRG Radio or download the NRG Play App on your phone