Chris Blattman

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ICC suspect misplaces bag with $10 million at Kenya’s International Airport

Police are investigating the reported loss of hand luggage containing about Sh840 million in hard cash. The luggage was being carried by one of The Hague suspects at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The police were told the bag had US$10 million in $100 bills.

…Police sources at Criminal Investigations Department headquarters and JKIA revealed the bodyguards cited their boss, saying he forgot the baggage at the VIP Lounge II, as he left in a hurry to board his car on Monday.

However, police, though uncertain about who walked away with the cash, however suspect the politician may have, in the excitement of rushing out to be met by supporters dancing, and praising him, forgot the treasured bag.

Story here.

A little known fact: The previous record for stupidity in Jomo Kenyatta airport was held by me. As a graduate student, on my first ever trip to Africa, I managed to lose my passport in within about 15 minutes of  landing.

I’m pleased to have so eminent a successor.

Update: I am told this was a hoax. It appears that I remain the record holder? Oddly enough, the next runner up is also me, for throwing a friend’s forgotten backpack over the tall security barrier to her, two months after the terror attack in Mombasa. Only realized what I’d done after the fact, particularly when I was not shot or arrested.

4 Responses

  1. After a very engaging discussion by Kenyans on twitter, it appears the story is a hoax, a result of poor journalism. A bag was lost, but it did not contain millions in $$.

  2. something’s not right here. $10,000,000 in $100 would weigh 100 kg. He couldn’t be carrying that in a backpack. I doubt the story

  3. I once boarded a Kenya Airways flight to Bangui when I was supposed to be going to Antananarivo.

    In my defense KQ was boarding like 5 flights out of the same gate at the same time. And no one noticed my ticket was wrong when I entered the plane. I did however notice as soon as I stepped on, as Central Africans and Malagasy people look nothing alike.

    But the bag of cash totally wins.

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