Ugandan athlete Cheptegei sustained 80 per cent burns, doctors say

Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei who was allegedly set on fire by her boyfriend.  [Courtesy

A distraught father and an inconsolable sister stood outside the Intensive Care Unit in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, where Ugandan marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei is fighting for life.

Cheptegei, 33, sustained serious burns after she was set ablaze by her boyfriend on Sunday in Chumeek village, Kinyoro location, Trans Nzoia West.

The suspect, Dickson Ndiema allegedly poured petrol on the athlete before setting her ablaze outside her house in Trans Nzoia.

Doctors at MTRH are battling to save the life of Cheptegei who represented Uganda in the women’s marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics which came to a close on August 11.

The athlete’s sister Everlyne Chelangat was emotional as she waited to see her in hospital.

MTRH Anaesthesiologist and Critical Care Specialist Dr Josephat Kerema said the marathoner had sustained 80 per cent burns in the Sunday afternoon attack.

Dr Kerema revealed that the resuscitation was successfully done and they are working round the clock to ensure Cheptegei recovers.

“The patient sustained over 80 per cent burns and she is in critical condition and under support. We are in the initial stage of management as we assess Rebecca,” he said.

He said the athlete also sustained inhalation burns which affected her throat and airwaves and doctors were working to prevent a multi-organ failure.

Dr Kerema assured that Cheptegei would be stabilised in three days and will later be rehabilitated through various procedures.

The doctor said the athlete lost a lot of body fluid and most of her skin was damaged by the highly inflammable oil.

MTRH’s senior Director of Clinical Services Owen Menach assured Cheptegei’s family that the facility was doing all it could to save her life.

Dr Kerema said Ndiema was admitted to MTRH with 30 per cent burns.

Mr Cheptegei described his daughter’s attacker as an animal who had tormented her for months setting her ablaze.

The athlete was referred to the Eldoret-based facility from Kitale County Referral Hospital on Monday.

He said his wife and 13 children were depending on the marathoner and hoped that she would recover.

The father revealed that she bought land and settled near her training base in Trans Nzoia to minimize costs of renting a house.

He said the marathoner’s daughters aged nine and 11, who had gone to church during the attack were in agony and under the care their grandmother Agnes Ndiema.

Mr Cheptegei said he was informed about the attack at 4pm on Sunday.

“Her children are crying in the house after hearing about the attack. I have asked my wife to take care of them as we hope for my daughter’s recovery,” he said.

He said the Sunday ordeal happened hours before the couple appeared before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kitale over a land tussle.

Mr Cheptegei claimed that the suspect had attempted to take over the plot that Rebecca bought and developed in Trans Nzoia and investigations into the matter were underway.

“I wish to state that my wounded daughter is married and her husband is in Uganda. Her attacker was a friend they met in Kenya and my daughter trusted him. They fell out recently but the suspect sneaked into her compound on Sunday afternoon, armed with five litres of petrol and hid in a poultry house,” he claimed.

“Rebecca was outside the house when the suspect appeared and immediately poured petrol on her before lighting the fire. My daughter called for help by asking her sister who was in the home to bring a blanket to put off the fire but the suspect who was armed with a machete chased her away and Rebecca burnt.”

Chelangat said her sister was preparing to take part in a race later this year.

“My sister came straight to Uganda and has been with us but she was forced to come to Kenya over the investigations into the land case, and this is what has happened to her. I hope my sister recovers from this,” she said.

The marathoner’s father said she was raised in Cheminy in Uganda, but the family which lives along the Kenya-Uganda border also has a home in Endebess, Kenya.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah Ole Kosiom confirmed that the athlete and the man had wrangles over the plot in Kinyoro.

“The man is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2pm on Sunday while the woman and the children were in church. Upon returning, Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring it on Rebecca before he set her a blaze,” Kosiom claimed.

“The two were rescued by neighbours who put out the fire and rushed them to hospital at Kitale County Referral Hospital where they were attended to with multiple burns. At the scene a five litre yellow jerrican, a bag and a black marvin believed to be for Dickson and a burnt mobile phone believed to be for Rebecca was found and collected for forensic analysis,” he added.

A Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat was attacked and killed by assailants in Eldoret on December 31, 2023.

Other female athletes among them Agnes Tirop and Kenyan.born Bahraini star Damaris Muthee were attacked and killed in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet in 2021 and 2022 respectively.