'We had a drink and made plans - hours later she was slaughtered in the most brutal way'

I met Julie Ward just 24 hours before she was held captive and killed in horrific circumstances that haunt me to this day. I had a drink with her at the Mara Serena Lodge in for a couple of hours shortly before she went missing.

We met when I was part of a cross-tour party and she was staying there after the jeep she was travelling in broke down. Julie was a really lovely girl. I’ve never written about this meeting before in the 37 years since she was killed. After her death I later became friends with her mum and dad Jan and John Ward. Jan was a lovely kind soul who was destroyed by Julie’s death.

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Then later friends with her brothers Bob and Tim. They’ve asked why I’d never written about it. I always felt it was too “personal” - too close to home. At one stage I was lined up as a potential witness at Julie’s inquest in Nairobi when the Kenyan authorities tried to frame one of our tour party for being responsible for Julie’s death. I have decided to write about our meeting.

There was nothing much to it but it still chills me to realise I was one of the last people to see her alive. We spent the evening in the bar chatting about our respective trips Africa and our lives in England.

I do remember she had a gin and tonic and I drank John Ward had owned a hotel in Harlow near where I lived. Julie was lively and bubbly and as our group said goodbye to her we arranged to meet her again in Nairobi just five days later.

It was to be the end of our tour and Julie would have been back in the Kenyan capital by then after her car had been repaired. We had a group booking at a popular restaurant called The Carnivore.

By coincidence I was in the same restaurant in 2023, its location had changed, and I immediately recalled that evening in 1988.We actually enjoyed a great night but Julie never showed up.

But I never knew why. It wasn’t until several days later when I was back in England that I discovered the terrible truth. Julie’s family have been incredibly brave. Fighting for justice and still, 37 years on, revelations are being made. It’s disgraceful and something needs to change