Samuel Wanjiru. FILE
Marathon legend Samwel Wanjiru’s widow Wednesday
expressed surprise at the commencement of an inquest into circumstances
surrounding her husband’s death but said that it should be held in
Nyahururu.
Ms Trizah Njeri said she was eager to have
the matter concluded and the cause of death revealed to all Kenyans so
that she and her children can finally concentrate on rebuilding their
lives with the matter settled.
Scene of death
“The
scene of death was Nyahururu, witnesses are in Nyahururu, documents and
all CCTV materials are also in Nyahururu and anyone suggesting it be
held in Nairobi is out to defeat a quick disposal of the inquest by
making all involved incur hefty costs,” said Njeri’s lawyer Ndegwa
Wahome.
The Nyahururu-based lawyer said while he was
aware of Justice Anyara Emukule’s order that a Chief Magistrate in
Nairobi conducts the inquest, he would urge the Chief Justice to appoint
a special magistrate to hear evidence, visit scene of the death and
also receive all the documents pertaining to the death while conducting
all sittings in Nyahururu.
“It is time we allowed this
inquest to commence and deny some people a chance to besmirch the
character of others by taking advantage of the delay to commence
hearings. Why Nairobi, when Nyahururu has magistrates with such
jurisdiction?” he posed.
Earlier, Wanjiru’s family
spokesman Kamau Mwihia strongly protested commencement of the inquest
without their involvement saying they suspected foul play by some people
keen on concealing the cause of death of their son.
Illustrious son
“Kenyans
have a duty to be told what killed their illustrious son that forever
remains alive in our hearts. He changed the face of athletics with his
sprinting style that permanently imprinted a lasting mark in the hearts
of all marathon lovers in the world that Kenya is a runners’
powerhouse,” he said.
His client would also wish to
have the matter concluded as it had lodged a heavy burden on the widow
who has to explain to their two children what happened.
“The
children will one day want to know what happened to their father and it
is upon this inquest hearing to tell the world the truth,” he said.
Mr
Wahome added that the marathon icon who died in 2011 remained a
precious asset in the hearts of many people who continued to mourn his
death and have held annual memories attended by thousands of Nyahururu
residents and beyond.
The widow believes her husband died from a fall from a height as arrived at by her pathologist Dr Peter Ndegwa.
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