Alleged killer of Ugandan athlete dies in hospital

Nairobi: The former partner of Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who is accused of killing her by dousing her in petrol and setting her on fire, has died in hospital from burns sustained during the attack, Kenya's The Star newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Cheptegei, 33, who competed in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, suffered burns to more than 75 per cent of her body in the Sept. 1 attack and died four days later at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya.

Her alleged killer died on Monday night in the same hospital's intensive care unit, The Star reported.

She is the third elite sportswoman to be killed in Kenya since October 2021. Her death has put the spotlight again on domestic violence in the East African country.