Nairobi — Rebeca Cheptegei’s former partner, Dickson Ndiema, has passed away at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
The hospital confirmed that Ndiema died Monday night in the ICU, where he had been receiving treatment.
Cheptegei, a Ugandan athlete and Olympian, succumbed to burn injuries days earlier at the same facility.
Ndiema had attacked Cheptegei at her home in Trans Nzoia, dousing her with petrol and setting her on fire, an incident that also resulted in his own injuries.
Cheptegei sustained over 80 percent burns, while Ndiema suffered more than 30 percent burns.
Cheptegei will be accorded a military funeral on Saturday in Uganda.
Her family confirmed that she was a member of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and will receive full military honors.
Officials from both Kenya and Uganda are expected to attend the funeral in Bukwo, Eastern Uganda.
A postmortem on Cheptegei’s body is scheduled for Wednesday ahead of the funeral.
Following the postmortem, MTRH will release Cheptegei’s body on Thursday morning from where it will be transported to her Endebes home in Trans Nzoia for a night vigil.
“She lived here, and we want to give the local community time to pay their respects and offer prayers,” said Mzee Cheptegei.
On Friday, the body will be transported to Bukwo, Uganda, for another overnight vigil before the burial on Saturday.