It was supposed to be a routine ride on a quad bike through the scenic coast of Diani in Kwale County.
But what started out as a leisure ride ended in tragedy when Briton Adam James Stagg and a Kenyan woman, Jackline Kendi, died in a crash.
A police report said the bike hit a speed bump on Diani’s Beach Road at high speed, causing the rider to lose control and veer off the road, before crashing into a concrete wall. Mr Stagg was pronounced dead at the scene.
But as investigations got underway, the authorities soon discovered that this was no ordinary person. He had been one of the most wanted fugitives in the UK, having been previously arrested in the Philippines.
How had he managed to start a new life in Kenya, far away from the prying eyes of the authorities? And why had he chosen Diani, of all places? As the authorities delved deeper into the circumstances surrounding the man’s death, they began to uncover a web of lies and deceit that stretched years back.
In 2016, he was among the most wanted fugitives in the UK, investigations by Saturday Nation have revealed. According to UK media and intelligence reports, Mr Stagg was 2016 listed alongside nine others as the most wanted frauds in the UK.
Adam James Stagg, who died in a road accident in Diani, Kwale County, last week.
He was accused of committing fraud between October 2013 and June 2014. The list was drawn up by City of London Police and the National Crime Agency as part of a new crackdown on fraud.
It is believed he set up a string of companies trading from the Philippines offering customers in the UK deals on watches costing upwards of £100 (Sh13,913). His victims, alleged to be 140, reported they never received a watch and some claimed they were threatened when they tried to find out why.
A year later, Stagg would be arrested in the Philippines where he went to seek refuge. While there, he was reported to be enjoying a life of luxury fully aware he was wanted by authorities for allegedly conning victims out of a total of £20,000 for luxury watches that were never delivered.
Unclear after arrest
It was not clear what happened after his arrest in the Philippines in 2017 or when he jetted into the country.
These are some of the gaps that detectives would be seeking to unravel.
In an email response, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency said: “We can’t provide updates on the status of wanted individuals when they’re wanted by a police force. From open source information, it appears he was previously on a most wanted list, but wanted by Avon & Somerset Police; therefore, it is best you contact them for any information.”
Close friends of Stagg confided in Saturday Nation he had been in the country for the last two years. “He was mainly into the cryptocurrency business. Stagg loved a luxurious life,” said one of them in an interview in Diani.
It is also believed Stagg came into the country as a tourist. Contacted for comment, his family asked for closure, noting he had been cleared of the charges and even jailed.
“People are talking about this…and it is quite unfortunate. That happened years ago, he was arrested and jailed for a year. When he was in England police allowed him to come to Kenya. The Embassy knew he was in the country…he even renewed his visa,” said his Kenyan wife, who declined to be named.
“If he was hiding in Kenya or was a criminal as people say, he would not be using his social media. But he had been online.”
The handout given by UK police.
Meanwhile, Kwale police boss Josphat Kinyua said Ms Kendi’s body is still preserved at the Msambweni Sub County Hospital mortuary. He said police were tracing her next of kin.
“If he was hiding in Kenya or a criminal as people are talking about him, he would not be using his social media. But he has been online …and he was not a suspect anymore. People should let him rest in peace,” said his Kenyan wife who declined to be named.
Meanwhile, Kwale police boss Josphat Kinyua said Ms Kendi’s body is still preserved at the Msambweni Sub County Hospital mortuary.
He said police are trying to trace her next of kin.
“Mr Stagg’s case is to be handled by the UK Embassy in Kenya…. The two no postmortem could be conducted until their next of kin or family/relatives okay it…and for now, they are not available,” Mr Kinyua told the Nation.
The UK Embassy in Kenya did not confirm or deny Stagg’s case, only saying it is helping the family of the Briton who died in Kenya.
“We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Kenya and is in contact with the local authorities,” the British High Commission office said in an email response.
When Nation visited the hospital mortuary, the bodies of Kendi and Stagg were still there unclaimed.
At the scene where the accident occurred blood stains were still visible a week later.
Flowers were also left behind by friends who visited the area as a condolence message.
Onlookers who were present the day of the incident said Stagg was not a new face to them and has been using the same route on a daily basis during evening hours.
The two are popular figures within the area and are known to have spent most of their leisure time at the Soul Breeze Resort in Diani.
Ms Kendi’s videos, as posted on her social media platforms, revealed an outgoing person who loved to live her life to the fullest with a caption on her Tiktok page ‘Live your life for you and not for the world’.
A day before the accident, she had posted on Tiktok a video of her and the Briton enjoying a motorcycle ride at an unidentified beach.
Most of her TikTok videos showed lovebirds at various beaches and others of her dancing. BY DAILY NATION