Nairobi — Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has been admitted at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret with multiple burns after allegedly being set ablaze on Sunday by her estranged boyfriend at her house in Kinyoro location in Trans Nzoia county.
According to a police report filed by area chief Rose Chebet, the incident occurred at 2.00 am in the afternoon when Cheptegei returned home with her two children to find the boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, waiting for her.
“The husband is believed to have sneaked into the compound yesterday at around 1400 hours while the wife and the children were at the church. Upon returning, Dickson who had procured petrol began pouring on Rebecca before he set her a blaze,” the report reads.
Ndiema is also recuperating at MTRH after the fire caught him as he lit the matchstick.
The report reveals the two have been at loggerheads for a while with a plot and a house believed to be the bone of contention.
“The two persons were indeed a couple who constantly had family wrangles where they contested over a plot and a house,” the report states.
It adds: “At the scene was found a 5ltr 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, DCI Trans Nzoia West Subcounty investigating.”
Cheptegei was in action at this summer’s Paris Olympics where she finished 44th in the women’s marathon.
She was also in contention at last year’s World Championships in Budapest where she came 14th after clocking 2:29:34.
The 33-year-old’s best ever result thus far is at the Padova Marathon in 2022 where she clocked 2:31:21 to finish first.
She also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2022.