Kenyan athlete Cynthia Wanjiku Mbaire, who passed away in Japan last month, will be laid to rest on Saturday at her home in Nakuru.
The 20-year-old athlete’s body returned home on Thursday night from Tokyo, where her mother Hellen Wanjira Ng’ang’a, family, other athletes, and coaches met it at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Initial worries were that the deceased distance runner’s body would be held in a Japanese hospital due to unpaid medical expenses of Sh1.3 million.
The body was finally brought to Nairobi thanks to the efforts of the Kenyan embassy in Tokyo, her employers Hitachi Building Systems Company, and Kenyan-Japanese athletics coach and manager Stephen Mayaka, arriving at 9:41 p.m. on Thursday aboard Air France.
Mayaka and Satoru Kitamura, head coach of the Hitachi Long Distance Team, escorted the body.
From Kamimura Gakuen High School in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima, where the Kenyan star set a meet record in the 3,000-meter race at the 2019 South Kyushu High School Championships with a time of eight minutes, 49.72 seconds, Kitamura recruited Wanjiku into his professional team.
At the Asian Championships, Kitamura finished sixth for Team Japan in both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races.
“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.
Wanjiku’s body was transported to Njoro where it will be preserved before the burial on Saturday.
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