The Suspected Killer of Athlete Rebecca Cheptegei Dies
The suspected killer of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, Kenyan Dickson Ndiema Maranganch, died at the Eldoret hospital (western Kenya) where he had been admitted since last week after burning the marathon runner alive and suffering severe burns himself, the medical center reported on Tuesday.
Maranganch, with whom Cheptegei had a romantic relationship but had been estranged for some time, passed away on Monday night, five days after she died, in the same place: Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the hub of athletics in East Africa.
According to preliminary police investigations, Maranganch, who was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), doused Cheptegei with a five-liter can of gasoline and set her on fire after an argument at the athlete’s home in Trans-Nzoia County, western Kenya.
It appears he entered the house on Sunday, September 1, when the 33-year-old athlete was at church with her two children and attacked her upon her return.
As a result, Cheptegei suffered burns to 80% of her body, affecting her vital organs, while Maranganch had burns to 30%, according to a hospital statement reported by local media.
The athlete’s autopsy, who will be buried next Saturday in eastern Uganda, will be conducted this Wednesday, according to the Kenyan press.
According to her family, this is a case of gender-based violence that could have been prevented if the police had acted in time against the athlete’s alleged abuser, who represented Uganda in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th.
"Government agencies have failed us because we gave them enough warning about her safety, as this man used to follow her even to Uganda, but they did not act quickly. It was evident that her life was in danger," the runner's father, Joseph Cheptegei, told the media last Thursday.
The last complaint had been filed just two days before the alleged attack by Maranganch, according to Joseph Cheptegei.
The athlete died last Wednesday night "after all her organs failed," according to Dr. Owen Menach, acting director of Moi Hospital.
Her death caused great shock and sparked protests in Kenya and Uganda, particularly, but also around the world.
