Generous champ would smash glasses, pick up fights

Kenya's Sammy Wanjiru poses with his trophy after winning the 2009 men's elite event in the London Marathon April 26, 2009. Photo/FILE

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru touched the lives of many people as he trained for major races and went about investing his multi-million fortune in real estate in major towns.

In an interview with the Nation earlier, Wanjiru talked of buying property in Ol Kalou, Ruiru, Ngong, Nyahururu and Nakuru.

Saying Nakuru prospects were better, Wanjiru went ahead to invest Sh100 million in a couple of flats. He also bought and renovated a commercial blocks on the Nakuru-Nyahururu highway.

Wanjiru was a flamboyant athlete who drove flashy cars, among them a top of the range Land Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Mark Two, Toyota Milano and a Subaru Impreza, just to mention a few.

But what struck residents of Nyahururu as a distinct feature of Wanjiru was his generosity.

When he entered a bar, he would buy drinks to all and sundry. Sources at Nyahururu police station indicate that guards would throng the clubs “to provide security”.

This was his main undoing. Wanjiru would become irritable, smashing glasses to pieces and picking a fight with anyone he pleased.

At the beginning of this year, he was involved in a scuffle with his wife, leading to a verbal spat that saw police conduct a search in his house for a gun.

His wife would later withdraw the assault charges, saying they had agreed to foster reconciliation for the betterment of their two children, Ann Wanjiru, 5, and Simon Njoroge.

But as Wanjiru continued to amass wealth, he remained a down-to-earth person who frequented the same places he used to visit when he was a struggling athlete, long before leaving for Japan where his talent was nurtured to full bloom.

As earnings improved, he built his mother a palatial home and another for himself at Muthaiga estate.

Wanjiru burst into international limelight when he started participating in major races among them 2008 Olympic in Beijing.

Before his death, Wanjiru was preparing for a major race in Europe where he intended to prove himself as a major force in the athletics world.