Rebecca Cheptegei’s attacker, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, succumbed on Monday evening to the burns he sustained from The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret (Kenya). Marangach was initially identified by Kenyan police as the companion of Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, whom he attacked on September 1. Marangach had set Cheptegei on fire after dousing her with petrol as she returned home with her children from church in Endebess, western Kenya. Cheptegei, who suffered burns covering over 80% of her body, passed away on Thursday. She will be buried on Saturday in her family’s village in eastern Uganda. Cheptegei’s father has linked the attack to a dispute over land she had purchased for building a house.
The murder has provoked international outrage and brought attention to the broader issue of violence against women. UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric condemned the “violent murder” as emblematic of a widespread problem. In her honor, the city of Paris has announced plans to name a sports venue after Cheptegei.
Her death underscores the grave issue of gender-based violence in Kenya, where the UNODC reported 725 women killed in gender-related murders in 2022.