Dickson Ndiema Marangach, an ex-lover to the murdered Ugandan Athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, passed away on Monday at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
According to hospital spokesperson Daniel Lang’at, he succumbed to injuries inflicted during the attack. Local reports indicate that Marangach had been responsible for Cheptegei’s assault as she returned home from church with her children.
Marangach was to face murder charges after his recovery, but his life was cut short due to the severe burns.
Cheptegei’s tragic death marks the third brutal killing of an elite sportswoman in Kenya since October 2021, highlighting an alarming trend within the country’s sporting community.
Viola Cheptoo, co-founder of Tirop’s Angels—a support group for survivors of domestic violence—expressed the community’s shock.
“The shock of Rebecca’s death is still fresh,” said Cheptoo, who started the organization in memory of Agnes Tirop, another rising star killed under similarly violent circumstances.
Government data from 2022 reveals that nearly 34% of Kenyan girls and women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence, with married women particularly at risk.
The staggering statistic highlights an urgent need for systemic change in addressing domestic violence issues across the nation. Internationally, the problem persists, as a UN Women study found that a woman is killed by a family member every 11 minutes globally.
As Cheptegei’s family and the athletics community grieve, advocates are calling for greater awareness and measures to protect women from domestic violence, ensuring that their sacrifices in sports do not come at the expense of their safety and dignity.
