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Kenya: 10 Years Later, Athlete Samuel Wanjiru’s Family Focuses On Inquest

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5 years ago

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The tenth anniversary of the death of Olympic marathon champion Samuel Kamau Wanjiru went by without much activity.

Wanjiru is said to have died after falling from the balcony of his home in Muthaiga Estate, Nyahururu, on May 15, 2011.

In October, 2015 a multi-million shilling emergency unit at the Nyahururu County Referral hospital was built in his honour through the partnership of the national government and Laikipia County.

The idea for the medical facility came after the athlete died at the hospital as doctors made frantic efforts to save his life.

No visits

Previously, hundreds of people would visit the grave in Nyandarua West to celebrate the life of the Olympics marathon record holder and two-time Chicago Marathon winner.

Fellow athletes would also organise road activities in his honour.

It was different this year as not even family members laid flowers at his mausoleum.

A visit to Equator in Nyandarua West, where the Olympian was buried and a mausoleum built, found the compound deserted and just an empty zero-grazing structure standing conspicuously next to the mausoleum.

“It is Wanjiru’s only brother Simon Njoroge and his wife who live here. We did not have any activities, not even his wife who frequents the home around this month visited,” said a neighbour.

Mr Peter Maina, another neighbour, said Wanjiru’s aging mother, who had been visiting the gravesite, was also absent.

Solomon Wachira, a former athlete, told the Nation that an annual event was stopped due to poor organisation and management.