Star Wanjiru died of head injury-autopsy

The wife of Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru Terezah Njeri Kamau at the Lee Funeral Home, Nairobi May 27, 2011 during the post -mortem of her husband. Mr Wanjiru died from an injury to the back of his head caused by a blunt object, pathologists have established. WILLIAM OERI

By JOHN NGIRACHU
Posted  Friday, May 27 2011 at 18:00

Olympic marathon champion Samuel Kamau Wanjiru died from an injury to the back of his head caused by a blunt object, pathologists have established.

The doctors could not establish the nature of the blunt object and have decided to go to his Nyahururu home next Wednesday to find out whether the injury is consistent with a fall from the height of the balcony.

A blunt object can either be the concrete ground on which his body was found or something hard and heavy enough to inflict the injury said to have shattered the back of the head.

The team led by Government Pathologist Dr Moses Njue also took away samples from the athlete’s liver and kidneys to establish the content of the alcohol in his blood.

Dr Njue told journalists at the Lee Funeral Home Friday the toxicology tests on the two organs should also reveal whether there was anything else in the alcohol he is said to have taken on the night he died.

“85 to 90 per cent (of the post-mortem) is okay. We already know the cause of death but now we need to confirm on the toxicology tests and see the height of the fall,” said Dr Njue.

The pathologists and lawyers are understood to have agreed to work on Madaraka Day, which is a public holiday, to tie up the loose ends in the case.

Lawyers for Mr Wanjiru’s mother and his wife Terezah Njeri said the athlete suffered injuries to his cheeks, palms, arms, elbows and chest in addition to the fatal injury to the back of the head.

Lawyers Godwin Ogolla and Wilfred Konosi, who represent the athlete’s mother, said their client was satisfied with the results.

Mr Ndegwa Wahome, who represents Ms Njeri, said the team would now meet and come up with date for the funeral as well as the withdrawal of the case filed in a Nakuru court by the mother.

“They have told us that the body can now be released for burial. We are waiting for them to visit the scene and give us the final report and we’ll then discuss amongst us and give a burial date,” said Mr Konosi.

“We are satisfied with what has happened today but we will have to wait for the pathologists and the police so that we have come up with a conclusive report,” said Mr Wahome.

The lawyer said the court case now ought to be withdrawn as the funeral committee he chairs had agreed to abide by all the terms she had spelt out in court.

“The understanding of the mother is that there is no case in court because what she wanted is that the post-mortem be done and she be involved in the burial arrangements,” said Mr Ogolla.

The release of the preliminary results came at the end of a seven-hour wait for families, friends and relatives who had arrived at the Lee Funeral Home from 9 a.m.

The post-mortem was attended by two pathologists, one appointed by the mother and another by Ms Njeri, with the elder woman and Wanjiru’s recognized wife identifying the body.

The acrimony between them was, however, evident right from the morning when they arrived as they neither shook hands and barely acknowledged each other.

Mary Wacera and the pregnant Judy Wambui, the other women associated with the athlete were also at the mortuary although they remained largely in the background.

Ms Wambui had obtained a court order requiring that DNA samples be taken from the athlete to determine whether he is the father of her unborn child.

Ms Wacera, an athlete who like Wanjiru is also a police officer, arrived cradling her seven-month-old daughter, who like Ms Njeri’s first-born daughter is named after the athlete’s mother.

The post-mortem was earlier delayed for about two hours after a standoff between the two family’s sides over who would foot Dr Njue’s fees amounting to Sh120,000.

The Government Pathologist normally does the examination for free but charges a fee when it is done at a private mortuary as he uses their facilities. 

Mr Wahome and other members of the funeral committee argued that the athlete’s mother should foot the expense in addition to her appointed pathologist’s fees as she had stopped the committee from meeting.

But the mother said she did not have the cash and the committee members quickly sourced for the funds.

Yet another standoff emerged over the containers for the liver and kidney samples as well as other materials the mother’s appointed pathologist had asked for.

The committee once again agreed to buy them, delaying the post-mortem by an additional hour and increasing tension between the two sides.

Tempers nearly flared as Mr Wahome asked that the parties agree on the post-mortem and date of the burial before the imminent fight over Wanjiru’s estate.