Love Gone Wrong: Kenyan Lady Scams Retired British Man All His Life Savings

Rodrick Lodge, a British guy who transferred his entire life money to a Kenyan woman named Anita in the hopes of finding love. This is not a fairy romantic tale, the man was character developed and left stranded in Nairobi. However, thanks to the generosity of well-wishers, he was able to book a journey back home on 24th July 2024.

Lodge, a former UN official, had invested his Sh15 million savings in what turned out to be a frustrating and fruitless quest for love.

He had spent decades working in the Horn of Africa, especially Kenya, first for an airline and then as a humanitarian officer with the United Nations.

The 69-year-old was finally able to fly back to London from Nairobi on Tuesday morning, thanks to some of his former airline colleagues who pooled their resources to buy him a ticket.

Lodge had been staying with a friend in Kitengela, Nairobi, after being stranded. His former colleagues learned of his situation through a news report, prompting them to come together and help.

Back in the UK, Lodge has arranged with a media outlet to expose his ordeal, seek help from well-wishers, and attempt to reconstruct his life.

“Here in Kenya, I doubt if someone could help me because probably, they think that a mzungu is monied. But I have spoken to a media outlet in London that is willing to help me once I'm there,” he told the Star.

Lodge became widowed in 2019 when his wife of 25 years passed away. A few years later, he believed he had found new love with a Kenyan woman. However, he did not know that many young ladies have turned love into an investment opportunity in Kenya. 

Last summer, a Kenyan acquaintance connected him to Anita, a 39-year-old woman who claimed to meet his emotional requirements and provide a secure lifestyle. Unfortunately, Anita turned out to be fake.

Anita was described as a mother of two university students living abroad and claimed to reside in Karen while constructing a retirement home in Voi, Taita Taveta County.

The love-struck widower offered to complete the construction of the house and furnish it, believing they would marry and move in together.  “I believed that I found love and was so blinded that I didn’t do my due diligence before breaking my bank. What kind of a man was I,” he said.

Lodge repeatedly expressed his regret, saying, “I can’t feel stupid enough.” “I believed I found love and was so blinded that I didn’t do my due diligence before emptying my bank account. What kind of a man was I,” he lamented.

With his vacation visa about to expire, Lodge arrived in Kenya last December, eager for a wedding and a new life. However, he had never seen a photo of Anita, heard her voice, or received her contact information, relying instead on communication through another lady, Mary. When Anita arrived in Nairobi, she claimed to be in Mombasa and avoided meeting him.

As his money ran out, Anita ceased all communication, leaving Lodge stranded and heartbroken.