Samuel Wanjiru kin demand role as inquest starts

PHOTO | FILE Samwel Wanjiru wins gold in the Marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• In a letter to Nyahururu Law Courts, family spokesman John Mwihia they had not been given a copy of the inquest file to study and prepare for the case
• Wanjiru died after allegedly falling from a 14-foot balcony at his Muthaiga mansion in Nyahururu on May 15, three years ago

By JAMES KARIUKI
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Marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru’s family on Tuesday protested over an inquest started in Nyahururu without their knowledge.

They argued that their exclusion would deny the public the chance to know what killed him.

In a letter to Nyahururu Law Courts, family spokesman John Mwihia they had not been given a copy of the inquest file to study and prepare for the case.
 

Mr Mwihia said the family believed Wanjiru was murdered and was optimistic the inquest would expose the killers of one of Kenya’s most loved athletes.

MUTHAIGA MANSION

He died after allegedly falling from a 14-foot balcony at his Muthaiga mansion in Nyahururu on May 15, three years ago. (READ: Bid to stop Wanjiru book sales)

“We have been cooperating with Criminal Investigations Department officers at the Nairobi-based Serious Crimes Unit and it is our wish that the inquest be held in Nairobi as ordered by the High Court in Nakuru,” he said in the letter. Mr Mwihia was shocked by the start of the inquest, maintaining that if family was not involved, it would deny crucial witnesses an opportunity to testify and fully take part.

Three postmortem examination reports prepared by government pathologist Moses Njue, and family pathologists Emily Rogena (for Wanjiru’s mother) and Peter Ndegwa (for Wanjiru’s wife) have been produced but they have different findings on the cause of death.

An official at the Nyahururu Law Courts, Mr S. Munene, confirmed the inquest had started but sought more information on the High Court order, saying they were willing to abide by it once it was brought to their attention.

Wanjiru burst onto the world stage with his glorious performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, clocking the best time ever of 2:06:32 during which he brought home Kenya’s first gold ever in a marathon.

WORLD RECORD

He became a professional at a young age and broke the world record in the half marathon when he was 18 years old.

In 2007, he broke the 20km road race record and improved the half marathon record by more than 20 seconds.

The following year, he won both the London Marathon and the Chicago Marathon.

On Tuesday, Mr Mwihia said the family was eager to get to the heart of the matter, adding that they would not rest until the truth was unearthed.

The case will be mentioned next month in Nyahururu.