Samuel Wanjiru’s widow opens up about his affair

Triza Njeri, the widow of Olympic marathoner Samuel Wanjiru, as she testified during an inquest into her husband's death on Wednesday. [George Njunge]

The widow of Olympic marathoner Samuel Kamau Wanjiru Wednesday told an inquest how she found her husband with another woman in their bedroom in Nyahururu.

In her testimony, Triza Njeri said the woman, who she identified as Jane Nduta, tried to strangle her when she busted the two.

The widow told Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi that on the night of May 15, 2011, she returned home to find Wanjiru with a strange woman in their matrimonial bed.

“When I came back home from the house of my husband’s lorry driver, James Maara Mahia, at around 10pm, I found Kamau sleeping with a strange woman in our bedroom,” said Ms Njeri.

The inquest heard that the woman told Njeri the home belonged to her, leading to a confrontation.

She told the court that she was shocked because the watchman had not told her Wanjiru had returned home with another woman.

Another house

She said the woman told her Wanjiru had bought her another house in Ngong and that the house at Muthaiga, Nyahururu, belonged to her.

“Nduta jumped from the bed and grabbed my neck. The corner lights were on and I could see her,” said Njeri.

She said she saw Kamau sleeping facing up, with his eyes closed, but he never talked to her.

Njeri said she left the bedroom, locked the door with a padlock and also locked the metal gate leading from the bedroom to downstairs. She fled downstairs and made her way to the gate.

She said she took the keys from the watchman and called the area OCS to report that Kamau had come home with another woman and she feared for her life because the woman had tried to kill her.

In the meantime, Kamau went to the balcony and shouted at her to open the gate leading out of the bedroom.

Njeri told the court that she refused to open the gate because she feared for her life; she said Wanjiru had previously threatened her with a gun. She told the marathoner to wait for police officers to arrive and open for him.

She explained that the OCS, who was aware of their numerous domestic quarrels, sent policemen on patrol to her home.

Njeri fled to Busara Nursery School to seek help in vain. She then called Mr Maara and explained what had happened.

She returned to his house but found he was not there as he was on his way to her Muthaiga home.

While she was still at Maara’s house, he (Maara) called Njeri and told her that Wanjiru had fallen from the balcony and had been taken to hospital by the police.

Record statement

She went to record a statement with the police, who then escorted her home where they took photos of where Wanjiru had fallen but did not enter the house. She said she saw blood on the ground below the balcony.

She later returned to the police station.

“At the station, I heard a police officer say Wanjiru had died. I was not allowed to go and see him until 6am the next day,” Njeri said.

It was at the police station that she learnt her husband had succumbed to his injuries and had been taken to the Nyahururu District Hospital mortuary.

At the mortuary, Njeri came face to face with her mother-in-law, Martha Wanjiru, who accused her of killing her son with a metal bar. The police intervened and warned the two against fighting.

Njeri said she found a crowd viewing the body at the mortuary and, after seeing it for herself, she directed it taken to Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi.

In her testimony, the widow recalled how she was abandoned at the mortuary and accused of killing Wanjiru. She later accompanied the body from Nyahururu to Lee Funeral Home.

The hearing continues on November 6 and 7.

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