Shocking new details have emerged about the brutal murder of Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei. A neighbor has revealed that Cheptegei, who became a “human fireball,” was heard screaming “help me” during the fatal attack. Her ex-boyfriend, after setting her alight, allegedly poured more petrol over her, intensifying the horrific incident.
Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, tragically died after suffering severe burns in a horrific attack. According to a shocked eyewitness, Cheptegei emerged from her home engulfed in flames, screaming for help, before her attacker—reportedly her ex-boyfriend—chased after her, pouring more petrol on her.
Cheptegei succumbed to multiple organ failure in an Eldoret, Kenya hospital last week, days after sustaining burns over 80% of her body during a bitter argument. Neighbors who heard the chaos rushed to her aid, but their attempts to extinguish the flames were tragically unsuccessful.
An eyewitness has now provided harrowing details of the brutal attack on Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, allegedly by her former partner, Dickson Ndiema, as reported by the Kenyan press.
Agnes Barabara, a neighbor living next to Cheptegei, recounted to the BBC: “When I came out, I saw Rebecca running towards my house, on fire, shouting: ‘Help me.’ As I went to look for water and started calling for help, her assailant appeared again and poured more petrol on her.”
Barabara, visibly shaken by the tragedy, shared that she was unable to eat for days after witnessing the horrific scene just meters away, solemnly adding that she had never seen anyone “burned alive” before.
Rebecca Cheptegei, a celebrated athlete born near the Kenya-Uganda border, transitioned to represent Uganda as her running career flourished. A former sergeant in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, she excelled in endurance running, winning gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand and securing victories in marathons across Italy and Abu Dhabi, where she set the second-fastest time by a Ugandan woman.
The fatal attack occurred just weeks after she returned from the Paris Olympics, where she placed 44th. On September 1, 2023, neighbors in Kenya’s Trans Nzoia County heard Cheptegei arguing with her ex-boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, before he allegedly set her on fire. Despite neighbors’ attempts to save her, Cheptegei was rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital with 80% of her body burned. Although initially stabilized, her condition deteriorated, and she tragically died from multiple organ failure.
Ndiema, who also suffered burns, remains hospitalized and is expected to face charges once recovered. Police discovered incriminating evidence, including a jerry can and a scorched phone, at the scene. Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, has called for justice, expressing concerns about Ndiema’s potential escape while he remains under medical care. Authorities have confirmed they are treating the case as a murder and are progressing with the investigation.
