The former partner of Ugandan marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was accused of murdering her by setting her on fire, has died from the injuries he sustained during the attack.
The tragic news was confirmed by the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, on Tuesday, September 10, where both Cheptegei and her former partner, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, were treated.
Cheptegei, 33, who represented Uganda in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, suffered severe burns covering more than 75 percent of her body in the attack on September 1.
She succumbed to her injuries four days later. Marangach passed away at on Monday at 7:50 PM from the burns he sustained, according to Daniel Lang’at, a hospital spokesperson.
Cheptegei and her boyfriend disputed over a land dispute before she was set on fire.
Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom, according to AP, said that Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement on Sunday, September 8. Ndiema was also burnt and was being treated at the same hospital.
