Samuel Wanjiru’s mother insists her son was murdered

The unresolved death of marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru is still haunting his family, friends and fans.

There was a new twist in court, when Hannah Wanjiru, the late marathoner’s mother, claimed she found the sister of her son’s wife cleaning a bloodstained floor shortly after she was informed that he had been taken ill.

While testifying at the beginning of the inquest into the athlete’s death, Hannah had said that when she entered her late son’s house on May 16, 2011, she was shocked to find Wangeci cleaning the bedroom. Kamau was married to Triza Njeri.

“I asked Wangeci why she was cleaning the room and tampering with evidence. There was a pool of blood inside that room,” said Wanjiru. According to Wanjiru, Wangeci never answered her question. She also told the court that she found two metal rods in her late son’s bedroom. She said that on the morning of May 16, 2011, she called the watchman, a Mr Maigwa, to confirm the news.

Hannah said she rushed to her son’s house after she received a call from her other son, Simon Njoroge, informing her that Samuel was seriously sick and had been taken to hospital.

She added that after some minutes, she was informed by her sister that her son had died. Hannah said she did not go to the hospital that night because she was mourning.

“I received the news about the death of my son at around 12pm on May 15, 2011. I was told that he had died at Nyahururu General Hospital,” She said. She added that on the morning of May 16, 2011 she called the watchman to confirm the news because Njoroge had told them it is Maigwa who had called him.

Samuel’s mother said Maigwa told her that on the night of May 15, 2011, Teresiah Njeri, the late athlete’s wife, had been dropped home by her son’s friend Gatimu, who was also a runner. She further stated that she lived around 300 metres from her son’s house.

“I was not in my son’s house when the incident occurred, and Samuel’s widow Njeri did not call to inform me he was sick,” said Hannah. The mother said she sent her friend Baba Macharia who confirmed that indeed her son was indeed dead.

The mother said she sent her friend, a Baba Macharia, who confirmed that indeed Wanjiru was dead. She revealed that she also found blood on the table in her son’s house and that police officers were also inside the house. The late Samuel lived at Muthaiga in Nyahururu.

“There were many people outside the gate, even the people from the press,” she added. She stated that she was later called by a police inspector who informed her that there was blood inside her dead son’s room.

“When I entered that room, I realised there could have been a quarrel or fight because some tiles had been broken,” she claimed.

Hanna said she was informed that her son’s wife had found her husband with another woman at home. She further claimed Njeri had called Samuel, who was then training in Eldoret, for an urgent meeting at home, prompting him to travel late in the night to meet her.

“My son called me on Sunday during the day and informed me that he was due to travel and meet Njeri at home. How come then that he met his death at a time when the wife called for such a meeting,” she posed.

She wondered how the guard failed to see her son enter the compound with a woman by the name Jane Nduta as was reported.

The inquest continues.