The circumstances surrounding the death of former Olympic marathon champion Samuel Kamau Wanjiru remains a puzzle as the lead investigator told an inquest that no one saw him fall from the balcony of his house.
Wanjiru died at his residence in Nyahururu on May 15, 2011. He allegedly jumped from the balcony to his death.
Jacob Kanake on Tuesday told Milimani Chief Magistrate Wendy Micheni that it is difficult to know what befell Wanjiru because he landed on his falls but had an injury at the back of his head.
Government doctors and pathologists who have testified in the matter believe it is the head injury that caused Wanjiru’s death.
Kananke, the senior most officer in the case, said no photographs were ever taken of the deceased at the time he fell.
When he arrived at the scene of the crime, he found two police constables.
He observed the scene and found blood on the balcony. Wanjiru had at the time been rushed to Nyahururu government hospital.
Kanake followed suit. At the hospital, the doctor told him Wanjiru was dead.
“I asked him to turn the body around. I checked it for injuries and saw bruises on his hands, legs and back of his head. He did not have any broken limbs,” said Kanake
The witness then left the hospital and went back to the scene for analysis and to establish whether there could have been other people involved in what had transpired.
“When I got to Wanjiru’s residence, I was surprised to see a woman on the balcony trying to jump. I pleaded with her not to.”
Kanake said he approached the main door of the house only to realize it had been locked with a padlock.
It was Treza Njeri who had locked the door.
Treza was Wanjiru’s wife and the woman at the balcony was one Jane Nduta.
Nduta was a bar attendant at a joint Wanjiru used to frequent. She was also his girlfriend according to the officer’s testimony.
On the day Wanjiru met his death, both ladies were in the house.
Wanjiru brought Nduta to his residence and an altercation ensued between the two women at the entrance of the bedroom.
Kanake said he gathered this information from Treza at Nyahururu police station immediately after Wanjiru allegedly fell from the balcony and died.
Treza’s account according to the officer was that she knew Wanjiru was bringing a woman to the house.
And on that day as the fight escalated, Wanjiru remained unfazed. He did not intervene.
Treza then left the house and locked the door. When Wanjiru realized he had been locked in, he shouted at Treza from the balcony asking her not to leave.
Treza did not yield to the request. She exited through the main gate. Wanjiru then jumped but Treza did not go back to assist him.
The officer said Treza told him it was normal for Wanjiru to be jumping from the balcony.
But Kananke told the court he was not convinced with Treza’s account.
He maintained that the head injury was not consistent with the fall.
He said they did not get any evidence on how he fell apart from the conclusions drawn by the doctors and pathologists
“Nobody saw him fall. Nduta was inside the house while Treza was running away,” said Kanake
“So we can rule her (Nduta) out as the person who clobbered him on the head because she was the only person who was there?,” asked the Magistrate
“Also, Is there a possibility that the two ladies could have conspired?,”
Kananke, the last witness in the case said it would not have been possible because the two ladies were not friends.
Kanake also mentioned that the truth has become a problem in Wanjiru's inquest as there were forces against him recording a statement in the case.
Wanjiru's mother was also restrained from attending her sons funeral on grounds that she was violent.
The officer did not say who gave out the directive.
He further revealed that the statements by Treza, Nduta and the then OCPD were full of inconsistencies.
