Younger sibling of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who died on Thursday due to multiple organ failure after being doused with petrol and set aflame at her house in Kinyoro, Trans Nzoia County, has given harrowing details of how the late marathoner’s ex-boyfriend blurred her vision by first pouring petrol on her face, then threatened to slash with a machete anyone who dared to intervene.
Cheptegei, 33, died on Thursday at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, where she was undergoing treatment after being allegedly doused with petrol at her house in Trans Nzoia on August 1 by her ex-boyfriend Dickson Ndiema Marangach.
She died of multi-organ failure after suffering 80 percent burns. Ndiema is also admitted at the same hospital after he suffered 30 percent burns when the incident happened.
Cheptegei’s younger sister, Dorcas Cherop, who is a Form Two Student at Nakame Secondary School in Trans Nzoia, has said that Ndiema poured petrol on her elder sister’s face, and the athlete cried out for help but when she came to her aid, her sister’s attacker threatened to slash her with a machete.
“It was a horrifying scene that I don’t want to remember. My sister was burning after she was doused with petrol, and no one came to her aid. When I dashed out with a blanket so as to cover up my sister and to extinguish the fire which was consuming her, Dickson kicked me, and I fell down. He threatened to slash me with a panga he was carrying,” 16-year-old Cherop, who stayed with Cheptegei, told Nation Sport yesterday in Kinyoro.
Cherop said she raised the alarm but her sister’s neighbours did not immediately respond but watched from a distance.
“When my sister was doused with petrol, she couldn’t see because the man first poured petrol on her face, blurring her vision. I didn’t know it until I saw her attempting to open the gate so as to escape. Her daughter was behind her, trying to put off fire that was burning her hair as we shouted for help,” a tearful Cherop said.
Cherop said neighbours helped to put out fire which had also started burning Ndiema’s clothes, afterwhich he poured more petrol on Cheptegei.
She said two good Samaritans rushed Cheptegei to Kitale County Referral Hospital, about 15km away from Kinyoro.
“It was a torturous journey for her. The whole of her body was aching, and we stopped many times on the way because she was not comfortable at all. She complained of pain in her stomach until we reached the hospital where she was taken in for treatment,” she said.
Everlyne Chelangat, another sister to Cheptegei, faulted local police, and Directorate of Criminal Investigations for failing to act swiftly to save her sister’s life because they were aware of what the athlete had been going through.
Chelangat also revealed that Cheptegei had complained to her that her ex-boyfriend at one time hid her travel documents at a time she was due to compete in a race abroad.
“Rebecca had asked the man to stay away from her and the kids after trouble started early this year. They used to stay together in Endebess, but my sister decided to go back home to Kinyoro, where she also trained,” she said.
Chelangat said that at one point, Ndiema ordered her to surrender her M-Pesa details and bank documents, something Cheptegei declined to do. She said Ndiema left her sister in protest and got married to another athlete.
“Ndiema went on to marry another woman and brought her to Rebecca’s house when she was away. He claimed that it was his home. My father reported the matter to the police because he saw it as a threat to the children’s safety. Ndiema was arrested the next day, but was released after two days,” she added.
“He also claimed that the piece of land on which Rebecca’s house stood belonged to him, and he wanted her to vacate the place. This time, Rebecca and my father reported the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation officers based in Kitale.”
Cheptegei competed for Uganda in women’s marathon on August 11 at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and finished 44th in two hours and 32.14 minutes.
She also competed in the marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest, finishing 14th in 2:29.34.
She held Ugandan national record in women’s marathon of 2:22:47. The soft-spoken marathoner, who was an officer in Uganda People’s Defence Force, was due to represent her country at the 2025 World Military Games in Switzerland from March 23-30 next year.
On Sunday, Sabaot elders from Trans Nzoia County said Cheptegei’s death was a big blow to the community both in Kenya and Uganda, and urged the Kenyan government to ensure the family gets justice.
The elders asked Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki to ensure safety of athletes is guaranteed, adding that cases of death of athletes was worrying.
The athlete’s family has said that her remains will be interred on Saturday at the family home in Kapkoros, Bukwo District in eastern Uganda.
Because Cheptegei was an officer in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the Ugandan government will take full charge of the funeral programme.
