Witness Conflicts, evidence gaps expose fault lines in Wanjiru case

The death of Samuel Kamau Wanjiru, the Olympic gold medalist whose tragic demise in 2011 stunned the nation, has remained shrouded in mystery. 

Over the years, his family, friends, and the public have been left grappling with conflicting accounts of what happened on the night of May 15, 2011, when Wanjiru’s life ended abruptly at the age of 25.

While the official inquest into his death recently concluded that it was an accidental fall, a perusal of the 48-page ruling issued by Milimani Chief Magistrate Wendy Kagendo reveals startling contradictions and discrepancies from the 30 witnesses who testified during the inquest about the marathoner’s final hours.

Among those who testified were Wanjiru’s widow, Teresia Wanjiru alias Treiza, his mother Hannah Wanjiru, his girlfriend Jane Nduta Wanjiku, his athlete friends including Erastine Gatimu Ndirangu, and the night watchman at his home, Stephen Kamau Maigwa.

 Despite the conclusion of an inquest that officially ruled his death an accident, conflicting testimonies from key witnesses, inconsistencies in the police investigation, and differing views from forensic experts all contribute to a complex and unresolved story of a national hero’s untimely death.

The night Wanjiru died, the details were murky. Officially, it was reported that the marathoner fell from the second-floor balcony of his home, a fatal drop of about 16 feet.

 But the events leading to that moment and whether it was truly an accident have been disputed, with numerous individuals offering conflicting versions of the truth.

Wanjiru, who made history by winning the Olympic marathon gold in Beijing, was found dead outside his home in Nyahururu, his body lying lifeless on the pavement below a second-floor balcony. 

The official conclusion from investigators was that he had fallen from the balcony, but evidence presented in court challenged that explanation.

Inconsistencies in the testimonies, combined with forensic evidence suggesting blunt force trauma rather than an accidental fall, have only fueled suspicions that there may be more to Wanjiru’s death than meets the eye.

According to investigators and evidence tendered in court, no one had witnessed Wanjiru fall from the balcony, and there were conflicting reports about his actions that day. 

Evidence from government doctors and pathologists tabled in court shows that Wanjiru was hit with a blunt object leading to his death. The doctors said the injuries on Wanjiru’s head were inconsistent with a fall, thus concluding that he was assaulted before death.

The courtroom drama unfolded as several witnesses, including Wanjiru’s family members, friends, neighbors, and police officers, took the stand, providing conflicting accounts of the events leading to his death. 

The most contentious and emotional testimonies came from those closest to him: his mother, wife, girlfriend, and the security guard who was on duty at the time of the incident.

Wanjiru’s family, especially his mother, Hannah Wanjiru, has never believed the official explanation of an accidental fall. 

From the moment his body was discovered, Hannah claimed that her son was murdered and that his death was staged to look like an accident. 

During her testimony on December 12, 2017, she broke down in court, stating that her son had been murdered in a conspiracy involving six police officers, his wife, and a lawyer.

“I don’t believe my son fell,” she told the court in a voice full of anguish. “They killed him.” Her testimony was powerful and filled with conviction, as she claimed that her son’s injuries were not consistent with a fall. According to Hannah, the police had covered up the true cause of her son’s death.

“The evidence was tampered with. The police were involved,” she alleged. “My son was beaten, and then thrown from the balcony.” The narrative she painted was one of murder, not an accidental fall.

Hannah also revealed that she noticed blood stains on a table in the sitting room and later found more stains on the bedroom floor tiles, walls, and the right doorpost. She then discovered that Njeri’s sister, Wangechi, had locked herself inside the bedroom and was cleaning up the stains.

“It is unusual in Kikuyu tradition for a woman to enter her married sister’s bedroom,” the mother said. “I asked her, ‘Why are you cleaning the evidence that had already been observed by senior police officers?’ but she remained silent.”

Hannah insisted that the blood she saw being cleaned up in the bedroom was a clear sign that Wanjiru had been assaulted before his death. She also argued that six men, believed to be policemen, were involved in the plot to murder her son.

“My son was murdered,” she said in her testimony. “His body was thrown over the balcony to cover up the crime.”

Contradicting Hannah’s narrative, Wanjiru’s wife, Teresia Njeri, known as Treiza, painted a different picture of the events leading to his death.

Treiza testified that the couple had been experiencing marital difficulties, but she denied any involvement in his death. She claimed that she had left the compound before the incident occurred, and was unaware of the exact circumstances surrounding her husband’s fall.

“I do not know exactly what caused Kamau’s death since I was not in the compound at that moment,” she said.

On the other hand, Nduta, Wanjiru’s girlfriend, provided an entirely different version of events. 

According to Nduta, she had been with Wanjiru in the hours leading up to his death. Nduta, a waitress at a Nyahururu bar and the alleged girlfriend of Wanjiru, who is said to have been the last person with him before his death, testified that she had known the late Kamau since February 2011.

On the night of May 15, 2011, Kamau called her, asking her to wait for him as he had just arrived from Eldoret. While Nduta initially stated that the call took place at 11:00 a.m., the court noted that the actual time was around 11:00 p.m. 

When Kamau arrived, Nduta noticed that he appeared visibly intoxicated. He ordered two fried eggs, which were served by her co-waiter Joseph Okemwa. After eating, they went to Jimrock Hotel, where they ordered meat and beers.

Following their meal, they headed to Kamau’s house. She testified that Wanjiru was intoxicated when they arrived at his house, having spent the evening drinking in various bars in Nyahururu.

Upon arriving at the gate, Kamau got out of the car and spoke to the watchman, who opened the gate for them to drive in. After parking, they exited the car and entered the house, where Kamau switched on the TV. They soon went upstairs, and Kamau fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Not long after, Kamau’s wife, Treiza Njeri, arrived at the house and confronted Nduta, demanding to know who she was and what she was doing there. Treiza then left, but not before locking the upstairs gate with a padlock to prevent further access.

Nduta testified that she then woke Wanjiru, and he instructed her to dress and go into the children’s room, which was also upstairs. Wanjiru, allegedly in a vulnerable state, begged Treiza to return and open the gate. At this point, Nduta claimed that she heard Wanjiru calling out to Treiza, urging her to return and open the gate.

After some time, when things seemed to calm down, Nduta went downstairs. She then noticed that Kamau was no longer in the bedroom. Looking over the balcony, she saw the watchman, who informed her that Wanjiru had jumped from the second-floor balcony.

“I looked over the balcony and saw him lying there, with blood oozing from his mouth and nose,” Nduta recalled. “I was in shock.” Later on, the police arrived, broke the grill, and took her into custody.

Further testimony came from the night watchman, Stephen Kamau Maigwa, who had been on duty that night. Maigwa was the first to discover Wanjiru’s body after the fall.

 “His leg was folded, and I was the one who unfolded it,” Maigwa testified, recounting his shock when he found Wanjiru lying on the ground.

 His account seemed to support the theory that Wanjiru had indeed fallen, but it remained unclear whether it was a tragic accident or a deliberate act.

Medical evidence added another layer of confusion. 

Wanjiru’s cause of death was officially determined to be blunt trauma to the back of his head, as confirmed by several government doctors and pathologists who testified in court. 

However, the nature of the injuries raised serious doubts about whether they were consistent with a fall.

 Dr. Moses Njue Mugo, one of the government pathologists who performed the autopsy, stated that the injuries to Wanjiru’s head were not typical of a fall from a height.

“The injuries to his head were inconsistent with a fall,” Dr. Mugo testified. “They suggest that he was hit with a blunt object before his death.”

Dr. Mugo’s testimony was supported by Dr. Emily Rogene, who also noted that the injuries were more likely caused by an assault, not a fall.

However, other experts, such as Dr. Peter Ndegwa, disagreed, arguing that the cause of death could not be determined with certainty without further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fall.

Despite this, the pathologists visited the scene and took measurements of the area where Kamau allegedly fell from the balcony. 

Dr. Njue, who prepared the report on Kamau’s death, formulated three possible theories about how the fatal injury occurred.

The first theory suggested that Kamau landed on all fours in a “cat-style” fall, with the fatal head injury inflicted separately. 

The second theory posited that Kamau had landed on all fours, regained his balance, but then staggered and fell backward, hitting his head on the cement. 

The third theory suggested that Kamau fell while holding onto a metal grill, slipping as he reached the level of the tiles, and hitting his head after landing awkwardly. 

While Dr. Njue leaned toward the third theory, he acknowledged the possibility that Kamau’s athleticism and agility might have affected the fall’s outcome.

Despite the medical theories, others involved in the case, including Wanjiru’s mother and retired deputy OCPD Nyahuru Senior Superintendent of Police Joseph Kanake, expressed suspicions of foul play.

Mr. Kanake’s theory, based on the injuries observed on Wanjiru’s hands, palms, and knees, suggested that Wanjiru had landed on all fours, meaning the head injury could not have been sustained from the fall alone. 

This raised the possibility that the fatal blow to his head was inflicted independently, fueling further questions about whether Kamau’s death was truly accidental or the result of foul play.

One critical detail that emerged during the inquest was Wanjiru’s level of intoxication on the night of his death. 

According to toxicology reports, Wanjiru had a blood alcohol level so high that it could have been fatal. The report revealed that Wanjiru had consumed a lethal amount of alcohol, equivalent to 21 shots of whiskey.  This raised the possibility that his impaired judgment could have played a role in his fall.

Witnesses who had seen Wanjiru earlier that evening, including his friends and Nduta, testified that he had been heavily drinking throughout the night. Wanjiru’s training partner, Daniel Nderitu, and his friends George Kamau and Joseph Okemwa, all stated that the marathoner had been drinking heavily at various bars in Nyahururu.

“It was a day and night of merry-making,” one of his friends testified.

“Kamau was clearly not sober by the time he got to the house.” Given Wanjiru’s level of intoxication, it is possible that the fall was indeed an accident, with alcohol impairing his ability to judge the situation.

 However, the fact that he had sustained blunt force injuries to his head before the fall raised doubts about whether it was purely accidental.

Adding to the confusion were the conflicting accounts from various police officers.

 Police spokesperson Erick Kiraithe initially suggested that Wanjiru’s death could have been a suicide, while other officers believed it was more likely an accident .

Former OCPD Nyahururu Senior Superintendent of Police Jasper Nyauma Ombati, who was involved in the investigation, also voiced his uncertainty, saying that it was unclear whether Wanjiru had jumped in a fit of rage or if his death was the result of an accidental fall.

As the inquiry continued, the narrative began to shift. Some officers, including Mr. Joseph Kanake, the former Deputy OCPD of Nyandarua, expressed doubts about the official explanation, pointing to the injuries on Wanjiru’s hands, knees, and chest, which they believed indicated that the fall was not the direct cause of death. 

Kanake and others speculated that Wanjiru may have been assaulted before his fall.

Hannah Wanjiru, Samuel’s mother, reiterated her belief that her son had been murdered by a group of six police officers, his wife, and a lawyer who were conspiring to eliminate him for his wealth. “They had a plan to kill my son, and they did it,” she said, refusing to accept the accident theory.

After years of testimonies, contradictions, and conflicting evidence, the inquest finally concluded that Samuel Wanjiru’s death was accidental. 

The ruling, however, left many unanswered questions. Despite the conclusion that the death was not a result of foul play, the evidence presented in court made it clear that something more sinister may have been at work.

Was Samuel Wanjiru’s death truly an accident, or was it a carefully orchestrated murder? 

While the official ruling found that there was no evidence of foul play, the inconsistent testimonies, the conflicting medical reports, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death continue to cast doubt on the conclusion.

As of today, the true story behind the death of Samuel Wanjiru remains shrouded in mystery, and the debate over whether it was an accident, suicide, or murder continues to linger in the minds of those who followed his career and mourn his untimely passing.