A British tourist had a lost bag containing some $19,000 returned at Wilson Airport in Kenya's capital. Full of gratitude, he shared his story in an open email, which was also shared by the National Police Service.
Benson Nickolson visited Kenya with his family on a three-week vacation. After returning to Nairobi from a safari at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, he lost his bag at the airport. The luggage contained a significant amount of money he said he was carrying to facilitate his group's movement and comfort.
Two of the airport's staff and a policewoman discovered the bag, screened it for explosives, and contacted the owner.
"All the money totalling to around $19,000 and some thousands of Kenya shillings were all intact. All my cards were found intact. All other valuables which included a regalia given to me by my late grandmother was also intact. It was a daydream for me," Nickolson wrote, adding that he affirms Kenya "as the destination of choice for tourism".
Joseph Kabangi, the airport's security supervisor, commented on the case in an interview with the local channel Citizen TV, saying that "integrity is a core value" among the airport staff.
In a statement on Twitter, the Kenyan National Police Service praised the female officer and the service workers "who were on duty on the fateful day, for bringing honour to the national police service and the country by an act that embodied the virtues of warmth and honesty that defines the Kenyan people."