A Briton who wired his life savings to a purported Kenyan love interest has been rescued and is on his way back to London. Rodrick Lodge, a former UN official, had hoped his Sh15 million would buy him love, but he found himself stranded in Nairobi instead.

Lodge, 69, had invested his savings in what he believed was a genuine relationship. After working for an airline and then as a humanitarian official in the Horn of Africa, including Kenya, he was left disillusioned by his failed romance.

The retired official was rescued by former colleagues at a major airline who rallied to fund his flight back to the UK. Lodge had been staying with a friend in Kitengela while he awaited his return.

The situation came to light after being featured in the media, prompting his former colleagues to come together to purchase his ticket back to London.

“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,” Lodge told the Star.

Lodge’s romantic saga began after the death of his wife in 2019. A few years later, he was introduced to a 39-year-old woman named Anita, who he believed was his new chance at love. However, it was soon revealed that Anita did not exist.

Anita, who had purportedly been living in Karen and constructing a retirement home in Voi, Taita Taveta County, was a fabrication. Lodge had even volunteered to complete the construction project in anticipation of their future together.

“I offered to finish the job and get it furnished so that when I came to Kenya, we could just do the wedding and move in,” he said.

Lodge’s attempts to connect with Anita were fruitless; he only communicated with her through another woman named Mary. Anita’s excuses to avoid meeting him grew, and eventually, communication ceased. Without any photographs, voice recordings, or direct contact details for Anita, Lodge’s funds depleted, leaving him stranded.

As his tourist visa neared expiration, Lodge had been hoping for a wedding and a new chapter in Kenya. Instead, he faced a painful reality of betrayal and loss.

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