Foreign News
Ex-partner who killed Ugandan athlete dies from burns
The former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who killed her by setting her on fire, has himself died from burns sustained in the attack, a Kenyan hospital official has said.
Dickson Ndiema ambushed the marathon runner as she returned home from church more than a week ago. He then doused her with petrol and set her ablaze.
Local administrators said the two had been in conflict over a small piece of land in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained.
Ndiema died on Monday night at the intensive care unit, where according to the hospital, he had been admitted with burns on more than 40% of his body.
“He developed respiratory failure as a result of the severe airway burns and sepsis that led to his eventual death on Monday evening at 18:30 hours [15:30 GMT] despite life-saving measures,” a press release from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital said.
Cheptegei died last Thursday – four days after she was attacked. She suffered burns to more than 80% of her body.
[BBC]