Kenyan media reports have carried a heartbreaking as well as baffling story of a Briton and a Kenyan woman believed to be his girlfriend who died on March 17 in a road accident in Msambweni, Kwale county. According to reports, what started out as a leisure ride on a quad bike through the scenic coast of Diani beach in Kwale County ended in tragedy when Briton Adam James Stagg and a Kenyan woman, Jackline Kendi, died in a crash. Diani Beach is a major beach on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya located 30 kilometres south of Mombasa, in Kwale County. Most wanted fugitives in the UK According to Saturday Nation, 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. The Briton, as reported, was pronounced dead at the scene. But as investigations got underway, it is noted, Kenyan authorities soon discovered that Stagg was no ordinary person as he had been one of the most wanted fugitives in the UK, having been previously arrested in the Philippines. How managed to start a new life in Kenya, far away from the prying eyes of the authorities remains a mystery. As the authorities delved deeper into the circumstances surrounding the man's death, Saturday Nation reports, 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, Stagg was 2016 listed alongside nine others as the most wanted frauds in the UK. 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. 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. It is not clear what happened after his arrest in the Philippines in 2017. In an email response, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency, informed Saturday Nation that: “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 that he loved a luxurious life, had been in Kenya for the last two years and that he was mainly into the cryptocurrency business. It is believed that Stagg arrived in Kenya as a tourist. Contacted for comment, his family asked Saturday Nationfor 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...and he was not a suspect anymore. People should let him rest in peace.” Kwale police boss Josphat Kinyua said: “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. It is also reported that 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. As reported, 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. 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.
