I lost luggage with £17k in at airport – I went insane with worry, says Brit

A RELIEVED Brit has praised officials at a Kenyan airport after they returned a bag containing £17,000 in cash.

Benson Nickolson had been in charge of collecting his family’s luggage at Wilson airport in the capital, Nairobi, as they arrived for the next leg of their dream three-week safari.  

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But after they reached their hotel, the holidaymaker was left in shock when he realised that one bag, containing the wad of cash and several valuables, was missing.

And naturally he feared the worst.

“I immediately called our rider who had been with us for more than one week,” Benson wrote in a blog online.

“He checked both vans but could not find the bag. I panicked and asked him to go straight to the airport as I took a cab from the hotel to the airport also.

“On my way, I called the airline to check if it was left on the plane. They called back regrettably.

“I also asked the airline staff to immediately check the CCTV of the airport, I was shocked to be told that the airport does not have CCTV.

“At this stage, I developed temporal insanity as it appeared we had no hopes of recovering the bags.”

Benson recalled how he been carrying the substantial amount of dough to facilitate his group’s movement and comfort as they travelled through various African countries.

He confirmed the bag not only contained cash, but also several credit cards and personal trinkets that been gifted to them by members of their family.

But in a stroke of luck, as all hope appeared to be lost, Beckon received a call from a security officer from the airport who confirmed they had recovered a bag matching his description.

And following a dash back to the terminal, Beckon was stunned to find the entirety of the bag’s contents intact.  

“It was a day dream for me,” he said.

“I called my people in the hotel to break the good news and they insisted to send one of them with a cab to verify the mystery.”

Local news outlets soon confirmed that the two airport workers and a policewoman had found the bag and screened it for explosives before the owner was contacted.

The airport’s security supervisor, Joseph Kabangi, told the local Citizen TV that “integrity is a core value” among staff at the airport when asked about his good deed.

In a gratitude email to Kenyan police, Benson later thanked staff for their efforts, suggesting it had restored his faith in humanity.

“To all persons working with or leading Martin Kammauh, please receive this message of thanks,” he concluded.

“This is the best experience a customer could have in a foreign land.”

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