Ugandan Olympian suffers 80 percent burns after partner 'set her on fire'

A Ugandan Olympian was in intensive care in Kenya on Tuesday suffering 80 percent burns after being doused with petrol and set on fire allegedly by her partner, the latest horrific incident of gender-based violence in the East African country.

Long-distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei was assaulted after her Kenyan boyfriend Dickson Ndiema Marangach reportedly snuck into her home in Endebess in the western county of Trans-Nzoia at around 2:00 pm on Sunday while she and her children were at church, police said.

The attack took place just three weeks after the 33-year-old took part in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics, where she placed 44th.

"Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring (it) on Rebecca before he set her ablaze," a police report said Monday, adding that he was also injured by the flames.

It said that neighbours had put out the fire and taken the pair to nearby Kitale County Referral Hospital where they were admitted with "multiple burns".

They were later transferred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret, where Cheptegei was admitted to the intensive care unit on Monday.

- Fighting to save her life -

"She sustained more than 80 percent burns in the attack," the hospital's acting CEO Owen Menach told reporters.

"The burns were really, really severe, some of them are really deep especially right to the muscles in the back," he said.

"We're doing all we can to save her life."

A member of staff at the hospital, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, told AFP that Cheptegei's condition looked "serious with facial burns and bandages".

The police report did not mention if Cheptegei's children were hurt in the attack. Local media reported that her father and sister were at the hospital.

The Ugandan athlete and Marangach were a couple who "constantly had family wrangles", the police report said.

Acting hospital CEO Menach said that Marangach had also been admitted for treatment after sustaining burns to 30 percent of his body.

Cheptegei is believed to have bought land and built a house in the Trans-Nzoia area which lies on the border with Uganda, according to local media.

- 'Totally uncalled-for attack' -

Donald Rukare, president of the Uganda Olympic Committee, said the athlete was "viciously attacked" and wished her a full recovery.

"Let's all say NO to violence especially against women. This is totally unacceptable and we condemn this totally uncalled for attack," he posted on X.

The Ugandan Athletics Federation also expressed regret over the incident, saying on X that Cheptegei had "suffered severe injuries".

Latest figures by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics published in January 2023 found that 34 percent of women in the country have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

It said women who had "been married are much more likely to have experienced violence", noting that 41 percent of such women reported incidents compared to 20 percent of unmarried women.

The assault on Cheptegei comes two years after Kenyan-born athlete Damaris Mutua was found dead in Iten, a world-famous running hub in the Rift Valley in the west of the country.

Her death followed the murder of record-breaking runner Agnes Tirop, 25, who was found stabbed to death at her home in Iten in 2021.

Tirop's estranged husband Emmanuel Ibrahim Rotich went on trial over her murder in 2023. He has denied the charges. His trial is ongoing.