'I cannot teach you integrity': How employee theft is hurting small businesses in Africa

When popular Kenyan food creator That Girl Boina took a two-week holiday to Europe, she expected to relax. A week into the trip, an Instagram direct message exposed a problem that would ultimately lead to the closure of her business.

"I was at your studio, I liked everything. The only problem was that I was asked to send money to a different number. It wasn't the number on the wall," a customer wrote to her.

Boina had opened Waxaholic Studio, a waxing and hydrafacial parlour in Nairobi's central business district, on 1 September 2024. A year later, she had hired a receptionist and two specialists and felt confident enough to take a two-week holiday, her first international trip of the year.

"I trusted them. It's two rooms and a reception - how do you mess that up?" she recalls thinking.

"It never occurred to me that maybe I was getting clients and someone else was stealing from me," she tells the BBC.

The discovery prompted Boina to examine the business more closely. Although the business had made a profit in the first few months, revenue began to fall in early 2025. She initially dismissed the decline as a seasonal slump but then realised there was a problem.

"Everyone around was making money apart from me," she says in hindsight.

She had already considered closing because it was not making a profit, but her initial investment, three employees depending on the business and her vision for it kept her going. The customer's message became the turning-point.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)