Body of Kenyan athlete who died in Japan arrives back home

Cynthia Wanjiku Mbaire, the Japan-based Kenyan athlete who died last month, will be buried at her Nakuru home on Saturday.

The body of the 20-year-old athlete arrived back home on Thursday night from Tokyo and was received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by her mother Hellen Wanjira Ng'ang'a, relatives, fellow athletes and coaches.

There were initial fears that the body of the distance runner would be detained in a Japanese hospital over Sh1.3 million in unpaid medical bills.

But efforts by Kenya’s embassy in Tokyo, her employers Hitachi Building Systems Company and Kenyan-Japanese athletics coach and manager Stephen Mayaka saw all bills paid and the body finally transported to Nairobi, arriving at 9:41pm on Thursday aboard Air France.

The body was accompanied by Mayaka and Hitachi Long Distance Team Head Coach Satoru Kitamura.

It was Kitamura who recruited Wanjiku into his professional team from Kamimura Gakuen High School in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima, where, at the age of 16, the Kenyan star set a meet record in the 2019 South Kyushu High School Championships’ 3,000 metres race with a time of eight minutes, 49.72 seconds.

Kitamura himself was a Japan international, placing sixth for Team Japan at the Asian Championships in both the 5,000 metres (2013) and 10,000 metres (2010).

"Cynthia suffered a rare form of cancer that spread fast and affected her brain. It was discovered early last year but was inoperable, and we tried to take the best care of her," a distraught Kitamura told Nation Sport exclusively at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon arrival.

"The cancer was at Stage Four when it was detected and there was little that could be done except ensure she had the best care in her final days," the coach added.

Mayaka said he has been in touch with the family while in Japan adding that it was the right decision for Wanjiku to remain in Japan for medical management.

"The cancer had already spread far and in Japan she had the best medical care she could ever get. Doctors said she had six months to live.... It is sad, but it's God's will and we have to accept," Mayaka said.

He thanked the Kenyan embassy in Tokyo for the support throughout the painful process.

Wanjiku died on April 14 and a week ago, Hitachi Building Systems Company held a farewell memorial for the athlete in Chiba.

"She was always kind and considerate of those around her, and she brightened the mood on the team and gave us all courage. She made us all smile, and we are saddened to the depth of our hearts," Kitamura said in a statement while announcing the athlete's demise.

Wanjiku won the 1,500 and 3,000 metres races at the National High School Championships before joining Hitachi.

Coaches Solomon Wachira and Francis Kamau led athletes and relatives in receiving Wanjiku's body on Thursday night.

There was an emotional moment when Kitamura showed Wanjiku's mother a video of the athlete's final days in hospital, including her farewell message a few days before her demise.

I her message, Wanjiku thanked her mother for bringing her up and for all the support that she gave.

"In our telephone conversations, my daughter told me how the disease was spreading and that all her hair had fallen off," the athlete's mother recounted.

Wanjiku's body was transported to Njoro where it will be preserved before the burial on Saturday.