Story of Dickson Ndiema, man who set alight Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 12.09.24. | 17:51
Ndiema’s elder sister Naomi Kiprop opened up on the life and journey of her brother, who has now become the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
On Tuesday 10 September, the country received the shocking news of the passing of Dickson Ndiema, the man who allegedly set athlete Rebecca Cheptegei on fire.
The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) confirmed that he died on Monday night in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he had been admitted. He succumbed to respiratory failure as a result of severe airway burns and sepsis.
Ndiema allegedly attacked Cheptegei at her home in Trans Nzoia, dousing her with petrol and setting her on fire, which also resulted in injuries to himself.
Ndiema’s elder sister Naomi Kiprop opened up on the life and journey of her brother, who has now become the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
She revealed the challenges and struggles he faced growing up, which many were unaware of until his recent actions thrust him into the spotlight.
Ndiema was the youngest of eight children in a family from Masek, Mt. Elgon, Bungoma County.
In 1999, they lost their father, Jackson Marangach, to cancer and tragedy struck again during the 2007 post-election violence, claiming the lives of their mother, Grace Marangach, and two other siblings.
Amid the turmoil, their older brother, James Kapsoi, who later passed away in 2016, moved the surviving siblings to Kolongei in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County.
It was there that Ndiema enrolled at Buala Primary School but dropped out in standard seven.
He then turned to athletics to support himself, eventually assisting athletes as a physiotherapist for a small fee.
He married his first wife, Winy, with whom he had two children, but the marriage ended due to financial struggles.
Later, he married a Ugandan woman, Ruth Cheptoyek, and they had one child, but she too left him because of the same financial difficulties.
"Life was really tough for my brother as both women walked out on him, but he kept on working hard to make ends meet having been left with the three kids. I took in the children despite my struggles," Kiprop told Nation Sport.
Kiprop went on to clarify that Cheptegei and Ndiema lived together as husband and wife, not merely as boyfriend and girlfriend, as the public has been speculating.
She expressed deep shock and disbelief over her brother's involvement in such a serious crime, stating that she never imagined he was capable of such actions.
“When my brother fell in love with Cheptegei, I knew about it and we got along well with her. I was shocked to hear people say they were just boyfriend and girlfriend. They stayed together as husband and wife and I would always check up on them.
They lived well and even bought land and started building their house. I was happy because my brother was making strides in his life despite a tragic upbringing,” Kiprop disclosed.
She called on well-wishers to help them clear the hospital bills and bury their brother.
Ndiema is survived by his three children.
Cheptegei will be buried on Saturday in Eastern Uganda.
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