Wanjiru died of blunt injury to head

BY BERNARD MOMANYI

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null 1/1 NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27 - A post-mortem examination done on the body of fallen Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru shows he died of a blunt injury sustained on the head. Chief Government Pathologist Dr Moses Njue who led two independent doctors in conducting the autopsy at the Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi told journalists they had concluded that he died of the injury to the head after he reportedly fell from the balcony of his Nyahururu home, a week ago. "The cause of death is a blunt injury on the head," Dr Njue said without elaborating. "What we now want to establish is the height between the balcony where is said to have fallen and the ground where he landed." He told journalists he would led a team of pathologists appointed by interested parties in the family to go and assess the height of the balcony and the ground next Wednesday. "So what we have done today is like 80 to 90 per cent of what is required to be done.  And that is why I have given you the cause of the death as a blunt injury to the head. The rest we will determine once we visit the home next week," he said and added that "We are also going to analyze samples we have taken from the body to be able to establish the alcohol contents in Wanjiru's blood at the time of his death." He said they had taken the samples from the liver and other internal organs. "Everything that is needed for examination has been extracted. The family is free to go and bury the body or do whatever they are going to do with it because we are through with it." Friday's post-mortem was witnessed by Wanjiru's mother Hannah, his widow Trizah and two other women claiming they are the wives of the late athletic hero. Lawyers Ndegwa Wahome for Wanjiru's widow Trizah, Gordon Ogola and Wilfred Konosi for Wanjiru's mother Hannah were also present at the Lee Funeral home and they all expressed satisfaction with the outcome. "We are all satisfied with the results.  There is no contention at all what is now remaining is for us to set the burial date," Mr Wahome told journalists. Mr Ogola and Konosi also said they were happy with the process so far.  “What is now remaining is the process which will be undertaken at the home on Wednesday next week when the pathologists visit the home." Earlier, the post-mortem was marred by confusion when a pathologist representing Wanjiru's mother Hannah insisted that some specific items must be acquired before the exercise could start. Mr Wahome who represents Trizah and the late Wanjiru protested that the pathologist was causing unnecessary delay before they all agreed and acquired the items which he said were to be used in preserving samples taken from the body. "These are unnecessary delays the pathologist is causing.  We have wasted a lot of time and we are going to waste more time, but someone has been sent to acquire the items and the exercise will start as soon as the items are here," he said. Dr Njue later told journalists "you are all aware it took long because there was a small hitch, I am sure you were told what it was all about." The late Wanjiru was pronounced dead after he was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to injuries he reportedly sustained after falling off his balcony following a domestic quarrel with his wife Trizah who caught him red-handed with another woman in bed. A guard and the woman Wanjiru had been accused of taking home on the fateful night told police that the deceased fell while trying to reach out to his wife who had left the home to go and inform the police and neighbours. A preliminary police report of the investigations revealed he died after committing suicide by jumping off the balcony but Nyandarua police chief Jasper Ombati has since insisted that the exact cause of the death and the circumstances that led to it will only be established once the investigations are finalised. Follow the author on http://twitter.com/#!/momanyibernard

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