Rebecca Cheptegei, Olympic runner, hospitalised with 75 per cent burns after boyfriend sets her on fire over land dispute
Rebecca Cheptegei is in critical condition in a Kenyan hospital after being allegedly doused with petrol and set on fire by her former boyfriend. The attack occurred on Sunday at her home in Endebess, western Kenya, where she had been training. Both individuals are undergoing treatment for severe burns at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret. Local police are investigating the incident, which is part of a worrying trend of violence against female athletes in Kenya.
Cheptegei, 33, had returned home from church with her two children when the incident took place. According to local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom, neighbors rescued her after hearing a quarrel outside the house, during which the alleged attacker poured a liquid on her before setting her ablaze. The attacker also sustained serious burns during the altercation.
«The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,» Kosiom explained to journalists.
Cheptegei is originally from a region just across the border in Uganda but had relocated to Trans Nzoia county in Kenya to be near its well-known athletic training centers. Police believe that the couple had been wrangling over a piece of land Cheptegei had purchased and built a house on.
The hospital’s senior director of clinical services, Dr. Owen Benach, confirmed that both patients were in a critical state, with Cheptegei being heavily sedated due to the extent of her injuries.
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