For close to 35 years, John Ward, who passed on last week, made more than 200 trips to Kenya and spent over £2 million (approximately Sh350 million at the current exchange rate) seeking the elusive justice over the murder of his daughter in the country.

Ward died on June 7, in London, only a few days after the burial of his wife, Janette who had died on May 25. The cause of their deaths has not been disclosed.

Their son Bob Ward, who announced the death of his father yesterday, said that together with his brother Tim, they will continue pursuing the death of their sister.

Bob and Tim, said they would pursuing justice for their slain sister, even as they announced the death of their father, John Ward.

For over the three decades, a determined Ward dedicated his life hunting the brutal killers of his only daughter, Julie Ward while on a tourism visit to Masai Mara in 1988.

Julie, then 28 years, died under mysterious circumstances in the Masai Mara game reserve while driving to collect her camping equipment in preparation for her flight home the following day.

Her remains, including her left leg, lower jaw and a lock of hair, were found in the game reserve on September13, 1988, seven days after she was reported missing.

Ward’s pursuit for justice for the killers of his daughter began when the Kenyan police claimed that Julie may have either committed suicide or had been mauled by wild animals.

Disputing that line of thinking, Ward believed that his daughter had been killed and that the government, while trying to cover up for the suspects, had arranged for the results released by government pathologist Dr Jason Ndaka Kaviti to be altered.

British media, Daily Mail reported that Bob was heartbroken that his father died before justice for Julie could be served, despite making at least 200 trips to Kenya and spending over £2 million.

John passed on weeks after his wife but the two sons have declared they will not stop with the quest.

“After 65 years of marriage, John died within two weeks of his beloved wife Jan. They were born two weeks apart and died two weeks apart. Both have sadly missed the celebrations the family had planned to commemorate their 90th birthdays later this month. They will be sadly missed,” the Daily Mail reported of Bob’s message of condolences.

Ward had accused both the Kenyan and UK authorities of covering up the murder of his daughter, which reportedly involved the son of a high-ranking State officer in Kenya.

The Daily Mail reported that ever since Julie’s murder, the couple battled for the truth in her memory, a cause that will now be advanced by her younger brothers Bob and Tim. “For 35 years, the family, led by John, have fought with the Kenyan Government and the British Government, Scotland Yard, and MI6. This story is nothing short of astonishing as this ordinary but driven family, led by a determined, relentless individual, showed such resilience against the authorities. John knew Julie was murdered,” reported the Daily Mail.

According to the British daily, Julie was on a six-month adventure after quitting her job with a publishing company in Bury St Edmunds to photograph animals in the Maasai Mara game reserve.

After news of her going missing in September 1988, the daily reported that Ward took a flight to Kenya to start his own search, which also was his first time in Africa.

Murder cover-up

“He paid for five aircraft to conduct a grid search of the area where Julie was last seen and spotted her Suzuki in a gully. Her body was eventually found 10 miles away. It was John who found his daughter’s jaw and lower left leg, both burned, deep in bushes,” the Daily Mail wrote.

“A pathologist Dr Adel Shaker had originally said Julie had been murdered, before the report was doctored to say she had been attacked by animals. Then John was told his daughter had been struck by lightning,” it added.

Ward claimed the British government and MI6 had helped Kenyan officials to cover up the murder.

The death led to a long and unsuccessful campaign by Ward, 70, a hotelier from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to bring her killers to justice.

Former President Daniel arap Moi under pressure from the international community, invited two detectives from New Scotland Yard who concluded that Julie’s car got stuck on the day she went to collect her equipment.

The trials of two rangers, Jonah Magiroi and Peter Kipeen from the park resulted in acquittals, leading Ward to make a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police in 2001 of conspiracy between the Kenyan government, Scotland Yard, the British Foreign Office and the British High Commission in Kenya to hinder the investigation.

In 2008, he used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain a 2004 report compiled for Lincolnshire Police which was highly critical of the Foreign Office, the British High Commission and Scotland Yard.

Asked in 2008 what drove his quest for the truth, Ward said: ‘Some people have said I should just let it all go and retire.

‘But they have no idea what it’s really like. My daughter was murdered, hacked to death, burned and thrown to the lions.

‘I might have closure in some sense, but to know that her killers are still out there living their lives means I have to continue.’

During one of his trips to Kenya, Ward claimed that former President Mwai Kibaki had at one time made a formal statement to the United Kingdom inquest court in 2004 admitting that the government of his predecessor Moi was to blame.