Rodrick Lodge, a 70-year-old former UN staffer, thought he had found love again after the heartbreaking loss of his wife. But what he found instead was betrayal that cost him KSh 14.9 million, his home—and nearly his sanity.
Rodrick met a Kenyan woman named Mary during a visit to Kenya after retirement. Their brief relationship ended when Mary claimed she got a job in Sudan—but not before introducing him to her friend, Anita.
Anita swept Rodrick off his feet. The two began an online romance filled with dreams of marriage and even building a retirement home in Kenya. Anita claimed she owned a booming beauty business employing over 30 people. Within months, Rodrick had sent her millions, sold his house, and was living out of Airbnbs.
But by December 2023, the dream began to crumble. Rodrick flew to Kenya hoping to visit their alleged home—but Anita vanished. There was no house, no business, and according to his Kenyan friends, no record of Anita at all.
Still in denial, Rodrick kept sending money—even when Anita claimed her father was hospitalized. But by May 2024, reality struck hard: he had been conned.
With nowhere to turn, friends from his aviation circle helped fly him back home. Today, he survives on his pension and lives month-to-month, still haunted by the betrayal.
Online users reacted sharply:
“He ignored every red flag—friends, banks—everyone warned him.”
“Grief clouds judgment. He was vulnerable.”
“She never existed. It was all a setup.”
Rodrick’s message? “If it sounds too perfect—it probably is.”
By Kenyan