Ugandan Olympic athlete set on fire by her boyfriend
NAIROBI, Kenya — A Ugandan athlete living in Kenya was attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend and is receiving treatment for burns on 75% of her body, police said.
Rebecca Cheptegei, a distance runner who finished in 44th place in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked in her house in the western Trans Nzoia County.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday. Ndiema also sustained burn wounds, and the two are receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.
Kenya’s 2023 Demographic and Health Survey found that more than 11 million women, or 20% of the population, experienced physical or sexual violence.
Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county’s many athletic training centers.
A report filed by the local chief states that the couple was heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.
In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead, with a postmortem report stating that she was strangled.
Musambi writes for the Associated Press.
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