President’s son implicated in safari murder of British woman

The lad of the erstwhile Kenyan president has been implicated successful the execution of a young British pistillate successful recently unearthed evidence.

Julie Ward was butchered successful the Maasai Mara crippled reserve successful September 1988 aged 28.

Most of her assemblage was burned, but portion of her near leg, pieces of her jaw and her skull were recovered intact.

Whilst officials initially tried to suggest that she had died by suicide, been eaten by animals oregon adjacent struck by lightning, it rapidly became wide she had been murdered.

She became a origin célèbre arsenic her millionaire begetter relentlessly pursued her killers, but the nonstop circumstances of Julie’s decease person ne'er been solved.

Now, for the archetypal time, her household has revealed grounds successful the lawsuit that shows the Metropolitan Police spoke to a witnesser successful 2011 who offered a large breakthrough.

The witnesser gave an relationship of events that puts Jonathan Moi, lad of Daniel Arap Moi, the erstwhile Kenyan president, successful the framework for the murder.

This recently unearthed connection represented a important beforehand successful the execution probe and reignited the Ward family’s hopes that Julie’s slayer mightiness look justice. They person spent much than 3 decades trying to lick Julie’s murder, and accidental that this is the strongest grounds yet that puts Mr Moi successful the country wherever the transgression was committed astatine the time.

However, successful a determination that has been heavy criticised by the family, the Met kept the connection hidden without afloat investigating the claims.

The Ward household believes that this is due to the fact that of a cover-up orchestrated by the Foreign Office (FCDO) and involving the Met, to sphere bully relations with Kenya.

At the clip of Julie’s death, Kenya was 1 of Britain’s cardinal defence allies successful Africa.

Whilst a cover-up by Britain has ne'er been established, The Telegraph tin disclose that the grounds was kept retired of the nationalist domain, with documents stating the cardinal witnesser statements were reserved strictly for the usage of British police.

This was due to the fact that of the imaginable hazard of reprisals if the contents were “divulged to the incorrect idiosyncratic oregon astatine the incorrect time”.

As a result, it remained nether fastener and cardinal successful a London constabulary installation and was lone shared with the Wards aft Mr Moi’s decease from pancreatic crab successful 2019.

The witnesser connection was made by a erstwhile authoritative astatine a safari campy successful the Masai Mara wherever Julie was recovered dead. The witnesser said that Mr Moi stayed with them astatine astir the clip Julie was missing, contradicting his erstwhile grounds to constabulary that helium had been obscurity adjacent the country of the crime.

The household are making the revelation nationalist present due to the fact that they person tried and failed to bring a ailment against the Metropolitan Police for its alleged failures.

 Julie’s member Bob Ward told The Telegraph it is “unthinkable that those statements with specified captious accusation person been locked distant successful a harmless successful Lewisham for each of these years”, and that the accidental to execute justness for Julie whitethorn present person been missed.

According to the grounds from the campy official, Mr Moi and a tiny enactment contacted the campy to marque a booking successful September 1988, astir the clip that Julie archetypal went missing. The radical allegedly arrived precocious 1 evening and near unexpectedly the adjacent greeting successful a mode that “did not marque sense” to the campy worker.

The disclosure is important due to the fact that Mr Moi had antecedently denied rumours of his engagement successful Julie’s murder, oregon being anyplace adjacent the area.

He told Kenyan constabulary successful 1997 that helium had been astatine 1 of his farms, much than 150 miles distant from the Masai Mara, “throughout” that September erstwhile Julie died. He besides said that helium had “never been astatine the Masai Mara crippled reserve”.

The Ward household has agelong suspected that Mr Moi was progressive successful Julie’s death, but earlier the campy official’s connection it was lone based connected rumour and grounds from idiosyncratic who was himself an admitted killer.

Former Detective Chief Superintendent Phil Adams, whose cognition successful Kenya obtained the statement, said the campy official’s relationship was “finally thing tangible and factual which enactment Mr Moi successful the vicinity of Julie’s murder, and supported a mentation that helium and his cronies were responsible”.

He added that his idiosyncratic presumption “is that Jonathan Moi did spell retired that night… and he’s taken vantage of her [Julie]. I deliberation he’s either liable for her decease or, having taken vantage of her, he’s got radical to dispose of the body”.

The Met confirmed successful a caller missive to the Ward household that successful 2018, erstwhile the astir caller probe into Julie’s execution was made “inactive”, Mr Moi was the “one remaining idiosyncratic of interest”.

By that point, the Met had been successful possession of the campy official’s connection for 7 years. The Ward household did not get the connection until 2020, and they person present shared it with the Telegraph.

But the Wards assertion that excessively small was done to interrogate the accusation successful the connection whilst Mr Moi was inactive alive.

Mr Adams told the Telegraph that they were incapable to analyse arsenic normal, due to the fact that they had told the witnesser they would not walk the accusation to the Kenyan constabulary – but astatine the aforesaid time, the presumption of the Met’s engagement successful Kenya meant that the Kenyan constabulary had to o.k. each their plans.

“[We said] we’ll support it nether fastener and cardinal determination until you are comfy with america utilizing it openly successful an investigation, and that’s however I near it erstwhile I retired,” Mr Adams said.

He added that his officers wanted to get a DNA illustration from Mr Moi to comparison against evidence, but that successful the end, they did not marque the petition to the Kenyan constabulary due to the fact that they feared they would person to explicate wherefore and that this would exposure their informant.

Mr Adams was not successful a presumption to disclose the statements aft his retirement, but it is believed that the Met did not stock them with the Kenyan Police.

The aboriginal investigations

Julie Ward’s execution was 1 of the astir notorious unsolved mysteries of the precocious eighties, comparable to the disappearance of property cause Suzy Lamplugh successful presumption of the mode it captured the nationalist imagination.

That was mostly down to John Ward, Julie’s father, who spent much than £2m of the luck helium amassed arsenic a hotelier trying to bring her killers to justice.

In his hunt for answers, helium exposed a litany of failures by authorities successful Kenya, who initially appeared reluctant to admit determination had been a execution astatine all.

The archetypal pathologist to inspect Julie’s remains said successful his draught study that her bones were “clean cut”, implying that she had been chopped with an implement. However, Kenya’s astir elder pathologist, Dr Jason Kaviti, altered the papers earlier it could beryllium fixed to the Ward household truthful that it said her bones were cracked and torn. This suggested chaotic animals were to blasted instead.

The amendment made Mr Ward suspicious, and – with his spot successful the authorities shaken - helium took it upon himself to analyse his daughter’s murder. He was relentless, and implicit the pursuing years and decades, helium helped to guarantee that determination was a 2nd inquest successful Suffolk, and investigations by 4 antithetic constabulary forces. There were besides 2 execution trials of 3 antithetic people, including the past caput warden astatine the Masai Mara crippled reserve, but each the suspects were acquitted.

In 2004, the authorities that succeeded president Moi admitted that determination was a imaginable cover-up.

The caller justness minister, Kiraitu Murungi, said that Mr Ward’s investigations did not get an “adequate effect from the Kenyan authorities astatine the time”, and that determination “appears to beryllium immoderate prima facie grounds of deliberate obstruction” by immoderate officials.

What has possibly been much astonishing is the battles that the Ward household person faced with authorities successful Britain.

In the days aft Julie’s death, John Ward was invited to a gathering with 2 men astatine the British High Commission. One of the men attempted to transportation him that Julie had been struck by lightning and eaten by hyenas. It aboriginal emerged that this antheral was an MI6 informant and the different antheral an MI6 agent.

Some clip later, successful 1990, Scotland Yard officers were brought successful to look astatine Julie’s death. Their enquiries led to the apprehension of 2 rangers who stood proceedings for execution successful 1992 but were acquitted.

The Ward household present believes that the Met deliberately bungled their investigations successful the 90s successful an effort ‘to pervert the people of justice’.

The relatives person spent the past 2 years pursuing a ceremonial ailment against the Met Police successful the anticipation that they would transportation the unit to admit its failures and reopen parts of the investigation.

In a missive handed to the constabulary and seen by The Telegraph, they said: “Justice has not been served to the Ward family, fto unsocial Julie. Our household person been earnestly fto down by the Metropolitan Police unit of past years.

“We believe, owed to the actions of the Metropolitan Police Service officers, a murderer remained escaped until his dying time and justness was not served for Julie oregon the Ward family. This is unacceptable to us.”

The Wards added: “We powerfully judge these actions were orders oregon instructions from higher up the concatenation of command, namely the FCDO.”

The Metropolitan Police person declined to reinvestigate the Wards’ allegations that its officers participated successful a cover-up, saying that they person antecedently been cleared and that its resources should beryllium utilized elsewhere.

A Met spokesperson told The Telegraph that it had suspended the probe successful 2018 due to the fact that it had exhausted each lines of enquiry. “This determination was not taken lightly and our thoughts stay with Julie’s family, who were updated accordingly.

“We person been wide that detectives would see immoderate caller accusation provided to them to find whether it represented a caller and important enactment of enquiry.”

A Government spokesperson expressed sympathy for the Ward household and said that they “deeply regret” the information that cipher has been brought to justness successful the case.

“The Foreign Office has ever perfectly refuted immoderate allegations of a cover-up successful this historical case,” they added.

As portion of their complaint, the Wards handed implicit a dossier of grounds of what they comprehend arsenic aggregate failures implicit the years to probe Julie’s decease properly.

They powerfully criticised erstwhile Detective Chief Superintendent Ken Thompson for his nonaccomplishment to sojourn the tract of Julie’s remains during a four-day scoping workout successful Kenya successful 1990. Mr Thompson said successful his study that helium had been incapable to spell due to the fact that of crushed conditions.

They besides questioned wherefore Mr Thompson directed Kenyan constabulary to Julie’s jeep, without ensuring a forensic introspection himself, and judge that helium did truthful successful the cognition that it mightiness clasp invaluable evidence. When different Met officers went to Kenya aboriginal that year, the jeep had been dismantled and imaginable forensic grounds lost.

Mr Thompson has since died, but astatine an inquest successful 2004, helium powerfully defended the robustness of his work.

The Wards besides criticised the detectives who took implicit from Mr Thompson, citing a 2004 autarkic probe by Lincolnshire Police. It said “the New Scotland Yard probe into the execution of Julie Ward was poorly led, under-resourced and incompetent”, that “significant lines of enquiry were ignored” and “forensic opportunities were missed”.

Despite these criticisms, the autarkic probe recovered determination was “insufficient grounds to enactment the allegation of a cover-up”.

Former Detective Chief Superintendent Graham Searle, who was the elder investigating serviceman connected the crushed successful 1990, told the Telegraph: “Under the circumstances, we did the precise champion occupation we perchance could. And I accent that nether the circumstances. It wasn’t the easiest spot to work.”

His deputy, David Shipperlee, added that allegations of a Met cover-up were “utter nonsense” and that helium doesn’t judge the probe was “incompetent”.

The autarkic probe was not capable to get to the bottommost of different disturbing finding: that a witnesser connection made by John Ward was altered to h2o down his disapproval of the Kenyan authorities.

The Wards judge it was done astatine the behest of the FCDO to sphere bully relationships with the Kenyans.

At the clip of Julie’s death, Margaret Thatcher’s Britain donated sizeable sums of overseas assistance to Kenya. Kenya besides hosted - and continues to big - a immense grooming crushed utilized to bid British Army personnel.

The British Army Training Unit Kenya, 200 miles northbound of Nairobi, is ample capable to bid full battalions and was utilized to acceptable unit for the Falklands War.

The Wards judge that it would person been profoundly damaging to Britain’s narration with Kenya if the lad of its president had been implicated successful Julie’s murder.

They besides firmly judge that Jonathan Moi was straight oregon indirectly liable for her death, though this remains unproven.

In their ailment to the Met, they person accused the unit of making deliberate mistakes due to the fact that it suited Britain “to assistance a governmental state fell a murderer”.

The archetypal clip Mr Ward heard Jonathan Moi’s sanction successful transportation with Julie’s decease was soon aft her assemblage was found, erstwhile a apparel seller successful the Masai Mara pressed a enactment into Mr Ward’s hand. It bore the words: “The antheral you are looking for is Jonathan Moi Toroitich” [his Kenyan name].

Some years later, helium heard Mr Moi’s sanction again from a antheral called Valentine Uhuru Kodipo, who secured asylum successful Denmark connected the ground that helium had been portion of a paramilitary unit. He alleged helium had witnessed respective atrocities, including Julie being tortured and bludgeoned to decease with a club.

Mr Kodipo claimed Mr Moi was present, on with 2 different elder governmental figures successful Kenya: Nicholas Biwott, a erstwhile furniture minister, and Noah Arap Too, who was manager of the past transgression probe department. Mr Arap Too has antecedently said helium was successful London astatine the captious time. All 3 men are present dead, arsenic is Mr Kodipo.

Mr Kodipo’s grounds emerged successful 1993, and his asylum assertion was approved, suggesting that astatine slightest immoderate of his outlandish claims whitethorn person been seen arsenic credible successful immoderate quarters.

However, questions person been raised astir the reliability of his evidence, including by a subordinate of the portion who said determination was nary grounds of Mr Kodipo. Mr Ward besides believed helium caught him successful a prevarication and astatine 1 constituent dismissed him arsenic a “fantasist” whose communicative was “nothing much than a brilliantly constructed battalion of lies”.

Jonathan Moi responded to Mr Kodipo’s grounds with a connection claiming that helium was not successful the Masai Mara astatine the clip of Julie’s death.

“Throughout the months of September 1988, I was astatine my workplace successful Eldama Ravine [more than 150 miles northbound of the Masai Mara]. I person a workplace astatine Narok [a municipality comparatively adjacent to the Masai Mara], and connected that alleged day of September 6, I was astatine my workplace successful Eldama Ravine. I would besides authorities that I person ne'er been astatine the Masai Mara Game Reserve, but astatine my workplace successful Narok,” helium said.

He added that helium had “nothing to bash with…the disappearance of the precocious Julie Ward.”

The recently emerged witnesser connection from the erstwhile campy authoritative offered a imaginable mode to disprove Mr Moi’s alibi.

In a handwritten statement, the erstwhile campy authoritative claimed that they had personally greeted Mr Moi erstwhile they arrived astatine astir 10pm soon aft September 11 1988.

Julie’s remains were recovered connected September 13, a week aft she archetypal disappeared. A post-mortem has suggested that she spent astir of this missing week alive.

Mr Moi’s enactment allegedly near the adjacent greeting and ne'er returned, which the campy authoritative recovered “unusual”, the witnesser connection shows. One subordinate of the enactment allegedly came backmost with an mentation a time oregon 2 later, claiming that they had got mislaid connected their mode to sojourn different 1 of Mr Moi’s farms acold distant – but the erstwhile campy idiosyncratic said they recovered this crushed “very odd”.

“[I] could not recognize wherefore they would person gone to [that farm] arsenic it was connected wholly the other broadside of the Mara to our camp. It did not marque consciousness for them to person booked our site,” the witnesser said.

Another root linked to the aforesaid campy besides gave a statement, which tin lone beryllium disclosed now, and provided letters from the archetypal campy official, which corroborate immoderate of the insignificant details.

For the Wards, these recently emerged documents shed immoderate airy connected what whitethorn person happened to Julie. But the household is besides frustrated that they person faced specified a conflict to get this acold – and that the antheral they judge is liable for her decease volition ne'er look justice.

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