Julie Ward murdered in the Mara

On September 13, 1988, the body parts of a young a British tourist were found in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, seven days after she was reported missing.
Julie Ward, 28, had been visiting the world-famous reserve.

Only her left leg, lower jaw, and a curly lock of hair were found.

They had been partially eaten by wild animals.

The police report, keen to protect Kenya’s tourism industry, only said that Julie had been killed by wild animals.

Julie had gone to the Mara on September 6, 1988, with an Australian friend and marine biologist, Dr Glen Burns.

After their 4x4 Suzuki Jeep broke down, Dr Burns returned to Nairobi and Julie spent the night alone at the Mara Serena lodge.

The next day, with the repaired jeep, Julie drove to the nearby Sand River camp to recover her camping equipment.

Julie’s father, then 56-year-old hotelier John Ward, arrived from the UK on September 12 and initiated an air search using five aeroplanes.

At 11 am, one of the aircraft located Julie’s jeep on the north side of the Elewana Sand River.

SOS

Atop the jeep, the letters SOS were written in mud.

Simon ole Makallah, the Mara’s head game warden, was informed immediately about Julie’s Jeep.

He went to the scene in the company of police inspector Anthony Mwaura, who instructed two constables to remove Julie’s personal possessions from the vehicle and take them to the Sand River police post for safekeeping.

According to Ward, Makallah allegedly drove the Jeep across the bush and into a gully.

This testimony was confirmed by his driver, John Teeka, an inspector Odhiambo (who was in Makallah’s car), a group of rangers and assistant warden James Sindiyo, who arrived at the scene in a separate vehicle.

At 4 pm, Makallah alerted the Mara headquarters that he had found Julie’s remains.

The police relied on the Kenyan government’s pathologist report that Julie had been killed by wild animals.

Journalist Aidan Hartley in his 2003 book, The Zanzibar Chest, says what the police feared to disclose about Julie’s death.

“She was kidnapped, held for days by her African captors, in all likelihood gang raped, then hacked into pieces with a machete and burned on a petrol-soaked bonfire.’’

Hartley adds: “Despite overwhelming evidence for this, Kenya’s police claimed she had either committed suicide or been killed by wild animals.”

MURDER MOST FOUL

Mr Ward alleges that the Kenyan system helped in the cover up of his daughter’s murder. He accuses the chief pathologist, Dr Jason Kaviti, of altering the autopsy report to say she had been killed by animals.

Two New Scotland Yard detectives, led by the then head of the anti-terrorism squad, John Yates, were invited by the Moi regime to investigate the murder in 1988.

They recommended that two junior game wardens from the Mara be charged with her murder.

Their theory was that Julie had left the Sand River camp on September 6 1988, for a nine-hour drive to Nairobi, then left the main road, got stuck in the mud, and was found by the two game wardens, Jonah Magiroi and Peter Kipeen.

Kipeen’s semen was found in Julie’s sleeping bag together with that of Dr Burns.

The two allegedly held Julie captive for five days, raped, then killed her.

Mr Ward disputed Scotland Yard’s investigation. An inquest into her death was set up.

Through his advocate, Byron Georgiadis, he claimed that Julie never left Sand Camp on September 6, 1988.

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

He alleged that she was raped and murdered at the camp on that day.

His chief suspect was Makallah.

The inquest recommended that the two rangers be prosecuted.

However, they were acquitted on June 29, 1992, due to insufficient evidence.

On July 17, 1998, Makallah was arrested and charged with the murder of Julie but was also acquitted by Justice Daniel Aganyanya on September 17, 1999 due to lack of evidence.

Mr Ward was to later claim that his daughter was killed by the son of a prominent Kenyan politician.