NAIROBI, SEPT 10 – A man accused of pouring petrol on Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, causing her death days later, has died from fire injuries. The matter was confirmed by the Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, where he was treated.
Dickson Ndiema was admitted to hospital with 30 percent burns on his body, believed to have occurred after he set fire to Cheptegei. The female athlete died last week from 80 percent burns to her body, according to hospital spokesman Owen Menach, who confirmed Ndiema’s death.
It was reported that the dispute between Ndiema and Cheptegei stemmed from the land the athlete bought in Kenya. Cheptegei, who had just competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics a month before the attack, bought land in Trans Nzoia district to be close to an athletics training center in Kenya, according to a statement by Cheptegei’s parents.
The athlete’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, said that his son’s ex-boyfriend had harassed and threatened him before the attack, and that their family had reported the matter to the police. He expressed disappointment that the suspect was not guarded in his hospital bed and feared that he might escape.
Rebecca Cheptegei is expected to be buried in Uganda this Saturday. – AP
