Doctor tells of vain bid to save athlete Wanjiru
Olympics marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru makes a comment during an in Nairobi on February 16, 2011. He died in unclear circumstances in May the same year. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Dr Kinyua said Mr Wanjiru was brought to the hospital unconscious around midnight.
A doctor at Nyahururu District Hospital on Monday narrated how his colleague tried in vain to resuscitate marathoner Samuel Wanjiru.
Appearing before a Nairobi court, Dr Joseph Karimi Kinyua said Mr Wanjiru was brought to the hospital unconscious around midnight.
BLEEDING
He said a colleague, Dr Elizabeth Kibe, tried to resuscitate the athlete for about 45 minutes before pronouncing him dead.
In a report produced in court, Dr Kinyua said Mr Wanjiru was brought to the institution on a stretcher.
He said the doctor was informed that Mr Wanjiru had fallen “from a height” but the relatives who brought him could not give more information because they were still in shock.
He said there was blood in the nostrils.
OLYMPIC
The body temperature was very low while the pulse rate was high, according to the doctor.
Dr Kinyua told chief magistrate Francis Andayi that Mr Wanjiru’s eyes were not responding to light before Dr Kibe tried to resuscitate him.
Mr Wanjiru, a former Olympic marathon champion, died in unclear circumstances on the night of May 15, 2011.
He was aged 24. An inquest was then launched to establish how he died.
SUSPECTS
Those dealing with the matter have already been told that the athlete was hit with a blunt object, and the alleged suicide bid ruled out.
Ms Hannah Wanjiru blamed her son’s death on police officers from Nyahururu and her daughter- in-law Triza Njeri.
During cross-examination on Monday, Ms Wanjiru reiterated her earlier claims that a mysterious woman and six other people entered her son’s home moments before he was seen lying in a pool of blood.
