Kenyan hospital officials say Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei was set on fire and her ex-boyfriend died from burns in the attack.
Dickson Ndiema ambushed the marathon runner as she was returning home from church more than a week ago, doused her with petrol and set her on fire.
Local managers said the two clashed over a small patch of land in northwestern Kenya where Cheptegei lives and trains.
Ndima died on Monday night in the intensive care unit where he was admitted with burns over 30% of his body.
“He did die [burn] Dr Owen Menach of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret town told the BBC.
Ms. Cheptegei She died from 80 per cent burns in the attack last Thursday four days ago.
Neighbors said they heard screaming and then Cheptegei ran towards them, shouting for help.
Local media reported that Ndima sneaked into Cheptegei’s home in Transnzoa County in western Kenya with a five-liter petrol can filled with gasoline before launching the fatal attack.
He was reportedly splashed with fuel while targeting Cheput Gai and was later trapped in the fire when Cheput Gai was lit.
Ndima will face charges as police say they are treating Cheptegei’s death as a homicide, with her ex-boyfriend named as the main suspect.
Both were taken to Moi Hospital before their deaths.
Cheptegei’s death shocked world, fellow Ugandans say she is their inspiration.
The 33-year-old Olympian was the third Kenyan athlete to be killed in the past three years, with police naming an intimate partner as the main suspect.
In 2021, world record holder Agnes Tirop was stabbed to death and six months later Damaris Mutua was strangled.
Cheptegei was born on the Kenyan side of the border between Kenya and Uganda, but when there was no breakthrough in Kenya, she chose to cross over and represent Uganda to pursue her track and field dreams.
When she started running, she joined the Uganda People’s Defense Forces in 2008 and was promoted to sergeant.
Her career includes competing in this year’s Paris Olympics. Even though she finished 44th in the marathon, people in her hometown called her “The Champion.”
Cheptegei will be buried on Saturday at her ancestral home in Bukuwa, Uganda.
Attacks against women have become a major problem in Kenya. A national survey showed that by 2022, at least 34% of women said they had experienced physical violence.
