The former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympian athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after he set her on fire, has himself died after succumbing to burns he also sustained in the fire.

An official at the Kenyan hospital where he was being treated told reporters that Dickson Ndiema died on Monday night at the intensive care unit where he had been admitted with more than 30% burns.

Cheptegei had succumbed to death last Thursday a few days after Ndiema had allegedly doused her with petrol and set her on fire following a disagreement which local administrators say had to do with a small piece of land in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained.

Cheptegei who lived in the western Trans-Nzoia County in Kenya, and competed for Uganda in the Discovery 10km Road Race and finished in the 44th position in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was reportedly attacked in her house in by her boyfriend identified as Ndiema who doused her with fuel and set her on fire.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander, Jeremiah ole Kosiom, said that Cheptegei’s boyfriend bought a jerry can of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze.

“Ndiema also sustained burn wounds, although they are less severe, and is receiving treatment at the same hospital,” the police Commander said.

“Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the many athletic training centres in the county,” he added.

The bereaved father of Ugandan Olympian, Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after her estranged boyfriend set her on fire, has blamed police in the Trans Nzoia County of Kenya for ignoring earlier signs of domestic violence against his daughter and not arresting the situation early enough before his daughter was killed.

Joseph Cheptegei who spoke on the death of his daughter in a cruel fashion, said the police failed to deal with issue early enough even after being aware of the situation.

Joseph said the horrific incident was a culmination of a dispute that had been there for many months with the athlete nearly killed by the ex-boyfriend before she escaped early this year.

“In February, they had a dispute and this guy wanted to hack my daughter and she had to run away. We reported the matter to the police,” the father told NTV.

“It reached a point she realised this guy was just taking money from her and she didn’t see the benefit of the relationship. So, she decided to do her things privately because the guy wanted to be in charge of everything, which she declined.

“When the issue went to police, the guy wanted to take her property by force. He got married to someone else and even brought her here.

“If the government had responded well, she would not have died because the signs were there for long,” he said.

Cheptegei, who represented Uganda in marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was born on the Kenyan side of the Kenya-Uganda border but decided to cross over to the neigbouring country to realise her athletics dream due to the stiff competition in Kenya.

She joined the Uganda’s People Defence Forces in 2008 and rose through the rank to sergeant as she represented Uganda in various competitions.