Wanjiru's death: Questions linger about missing home CCTV footage

The inquest into the death of Olympic gold medalist Samuel Kamau Wanjiru has revealed shocking details about missing CCTV footage, further complicating the case.

While the court ultimately ruled that Wanjiru's death was accidental, the mysterious disappearance of crucial CCTV footage remains a key issue. This footage, recorded from cameras installed at his Nyahururu home, was expected to provide vital evidence about the events leading up to Wanjiru's fall from his balcony.

Despite the court's conclusion, the disappearance of the CCTV footage is one of the most baffling aspects of the case. During the inquest, startling revelations emerged about the footage's mysterious loss, raising concerns about whether all the evidence was properly examined.

In the final stages of the inquest, it was revealed that the CD containing the CCTV footage, which was to be presented as evidence, was empty. On November 3, 2020, State Counsel Angela Fuchaka, who was prosecuting the case before her transfer, shocked the court by announcing that the CD submitted by the investigating officer contained no data.

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Days later, the investigating officer submitted part of the CCTV footage, but it did not include the events in the bedroom, sitting room, or the balcony where Wanjiru's lifeless body was found. The cameras at Wanjiru’s house were believed to have captured critical moments, but now those moments were missing.

The absence of the footage, combined with inconsistencies in witness testimonies and the evidence presented, has led to speculation that Wanjiru’s death may not have been as straightforward as an accident. Some family members believe the footage could have contradicted the court's conclusion. Wanjiru’s mother, in particular, has expressed concerns that the footage could have shown foul play and that certain details were deliberately obscured during the investigation.

The CCTV cameras were installed at Wanjiru’s home to monitor the compound. According to his widow, Triza, police had played the footage for them after Wanjiru’s death. Njeri, Wanjiru’s widow, testified that on May 17, 2011, a police officer came to their home in Muthaiga, Nyahururu, and played the footage from the cameras. The footage was shown in the presence of family members, including Hannah Wanjiru, and other relatives and friends. At the time, Njeri had just returned from taking Wanjiru's body to the mortuary.

She explained that the same watchman, Mr. Maigwa, who had been at the home when she left, was the one who opened the gate for her upon her return. Njeri also described the surveillance system, explaining that multiple cameras were used to monitor the house and compound.

"There was a screen in the bedroom where we could see anyone entering the home from the gate," she said. "We had several cameras, including one facing the main gate, which provided a view of the entire compound."

Njeri revealed finding unexpected items in their bedroom, including a blouse with white stripes that did not belong to her, which she handed over to the police. Additionally, she discovered a padlock and two metal rods on their bedroom door.

Wanjiru’s mother, Hannah, gave a chilling account of what she saw in the footage. She claimed that her son was killed by six police officers. During the inquest, she testified that the officers were seen on CCTV at the house on the night of her son's death.

Hannah described seeing her son's lifeless body at the mortuary. "At the mortuary, I saw my son had been hit on the head. His skull was swollen, and a bone was protruding from his scalp. He was still bleeding heavily," she tearfully told the court.

Her testimony intensified suspicions about her son’s death, which had been officially ruled an accident despite mounting doubts. "We watched the CCTV footage in Kamau's bedroom, along with his wife Triza Njeri, my brother, Senior Police Officer Isaac Onyango, and other members of the public," she said.

She testified that the CCTV captured her son's return home on May 15, 2011, at around 9:40 pm, not past midnight as claimed by his girlfriend Nduta and watchman Maigwa. Wanjiru arrived alone in his manager’s car.

According to Hannah, the footage also showed Njeri arriving at their matrimonial home through a small gate and entering the house 18 minutes later. "Two minutes later, the footage shows another woman entering the compound, and immediately after, the lights go off," she stated.

After the blackout, the watchman is seen using a torch to open the gate for a group of six men who enter the compound. "They were all using a single torch and wearing black clothes, so we couldn’t tell who they were. They were then seen approaching Kamau’s house," she explained.

Hannah said that after the group of six men entered the house, the CCTV later showed another vehicle entering the compound, which she identified as Wanjiru's Land Cruiser. However, she was unable to recognise the driver.

She noted that after the six men entered the house, nothing significant was seen in the footage. Before the footage was played, it was discovered that two channels (one and eight) had been tampered with, and the images were blurry.

Later, the footage showed the six men leaving the compound, with Wanjiru's Land Cruiser being driven out. The lights came on, and Triza was seen leaving the compound, seemingly talking on her mobile phone and gesturing to someone on the balcony of the deceased athlete's bedroom.

Hannah observed that Triza was later joined by three men, whom she identified as James Mara, Stephen Maina Gichuhi, and Gaitha Maina. "Mara used to work for my late son as a lorry driver before I dismissed him, Gichuhi is the son of my brother, and Gaitha was an athlete with Kamau," she explained.

When asked what Mara and Gichuhi had come to do, Triza claimed they had come to pick up her husband. However, when questioned further about how they knew Wanjiru had fallen, Njeri became emotional, failed to provide an answer, and walked away.

Hannah also emphasised that none of the CCTV footage shown captured her son’s alleged fall.

Additionally, two metal bars recovered from Wanjiru's bedroom were presented in court, raising further questions. Hannah also noted blood stains on a table in the sitting room and later saw more stains on the bedroom tiles, floor, walls, and doorpost.

Hannah told the inquest that Triza and DCIO Onyango had initially planned to view the CCTV footage at the police station, but she insisted that it be shown in her son’s bedroom before it was taken for further investigation. At that point, the DCIO ordered the burial plans to be halted due to emerging details that pointed toward possible foul play.