I have lost a breadwinner, Cheptegei's father says on her death

Mzee Joseph Cheptegei, the father of late Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has expressed profound sadness on the loss of her daughter as he called for justice.

Cheptegei who was addressing the press at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret moments after receiving the news said the family has not only lost a beloved daughter but also a breadwinner.

“I have lost a daughter who has been helping in many ways,” he said.

Terming the loss as painful to him, the visibly distraught Cheptegei said as a family they have been depending on her, especially in supporting her younger siblings’ education.

“We have children in secondary schools and I don’t know how we are going to cope with this challenge to ensure they complete their studies,” he added.

He also used the opportunity to call on the government to expedite investigations and ensure the culprit behind the heinous act is arrested and charged.

The late Cheptegei is said to have sustained 80 per cent burn injuries after her alleged boyfriend doused her body with petrol and set her on fire.

The burns damaged most of her organs.

The said boyfriend Dickson Ndiema Marangach also sustained burn injuries during the attack.

“From the day we lost her, the government has been slow in probing the matter. We have raised the matter with the police but there has still been no action on their part,” he stated.

Cheptegei was aged 33 years and has been an athlete for over 15 years.

Her last major event was the recent Paris Olympics where she participated in the Marathon race.

Cheptegei is described by her family as a very outgoing person who loved athletics.

She was married with two children in Uganda but separated from her husband after which she bought land in Trans Nzoia where she usually trained.

It is in Trans Nzoia where she met her alleged boyfriend and lived with him before they differed over the land she had bought.