The former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after setting her on fire, has also succumbed to burns sustained in the attack, according to a Kenyan hospital official.
Dickson Ndiema ambushed Cheptegei as she was returning home from church over a week ago, pouring petrol on her and igniting it.
Local officials reported that the pair had been in dispute over a small piece of land in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained.
Ndiema passed away on Monday night in the intensive care unit, where he had been treated for burns covering more than 30% of his body.
“It’s true he has died from the [burn] injuries,” Dr Owen Menach from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital told the BBC.
Ms. Cheptegei succumbed to injuries sustained during the attack last Thursday, having suffered 80% burns.
According to neighbors who spoke to the BBC, they heard screams before Cheptegei fled toward them, crying for help.
Ndiema was facing charges as police treated Cheptegei’s death as a murder case, with him identified as the primary suspect.
Both Cheptegei and Ndiema were admitted to Moi Hospital in Eldoret before their deaths.
The 33-year-old athlete was the third Kenyan athlete to be killed in the past three years, with intimate partners identified as the primary suspects in each case.
Cheptegei was born on the Kenyan side of the Kenya-Uganda border but chose to represent Uganda in athletics after failing to gain recognition in Kenya. She joined the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in 2008, rising to the rank of sergeant.
Her career highlights included competing in this year’s Paris Olympics, where she finished 44th in the marathon. Despite this, she was celebrated as a “champion” in her home region.
Cheptegei is scheduled to be buried on Saturday at her ancestral home in Bukwo, Uganda.
The rise in violence against women has become a significant concern in Kenya, with a 2022 national survey revealing that at least 34% of women reported experiencing physical violence.