By Frank Kamuntu
Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei sustained life-threatening burns in an alleged case of love gone sour.
The 33-year-old is currently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in Eldoret Kenya after suffering 80% burns, especially at the back.
Cheptegei was allegedly attacked at her house by her former boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema.
Ndiema ambushed the sportswoman as she was returning home from church together with her children.
Josephat Kirima, the head of ICU services, noted that the athlete is on a ventilator and receiving care from the medics.
“She is not yet awake because the burns are extensive and painful, but she’s on pain management medicine,” he said.
According to Citizen TV, the attack was due to a longstanding land tussle between the two former lovers.
Speaking during the visit to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), her family expressed disappointment in the turn of events.
“We visited the DCI late last week to solve the matter, only for him to descend on her just two days later,” her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said.
The alleged attacker, who was also admitted to the same hospital, suffered 30% burns.
The incident happened at Cheptegei’s home in Endebes, where she had been training.
Cheptegei is said to have bought land and built a house in Trans Nzoia County to benefit from the athletic training centres nearby.
Details indicate that it started with the couple quarrelling before the man dowsed her with gasoline and set her on fire.
The athlete was rescued by neighbours and rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
Cheptegei, a mother of two, recently represented Uganda at the 2024 Olympics held in Paris, France, unaware of what lay ahead.
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