Employee theft
A viral TikTok video about employee theft sparked a debate after That Girl Boina revealed her Nairobi waxing studio closed in October 2025 because staff diverted payments. Boina, a popular Kenyan food creator, opened Waxaholic Studio on 1 September 2024 and hired a receptionist and two specialists. A direct Instagram message from a client about a payment sent to the wrong number triggered the investigation that led to the business’s demise.
Boina had taken a two‑week holiday to Europe, confident that a small operation with two treatment rooms and a front desk could run smoothly in her absence. While abroad, a customer wrote, “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.” The message made Boina realise that someone inside the studio was siphoning client payments.
Back in Nairobi, the entrepreneur examined her accounts and noticed revenue slipping in early 2025 after an initially profitable launch. She first blamed a seasonal lull, but the sudden drop contrasted with peers who were still earning. “Everyone around was making money apart from me,” Boina later reflected. The client’s warning became the turning point; she concluded the staff were not matching her energy or delivering profit.
Instead of confronting the employees directly, Boina opted to close Waxaholic Studio. She listed the business for sale that weekend, found no buyer, and sold some equipment while taking the rest home. The studio’s doors shut in October 2025, and Boina described the loss as “the worst feeling I have ever felt,” noting that the closure erased both a financial investment and a future‑security plan.
Months later, Boina posted a TikTok recounting the ordeal; the video was reposted on X and amassed close to a million views. Kenyan entrepreneurs flooded the comments, sharing similar stories of payment diversion, stock theft, and equipment loss that pushed them toward firing staff, selling assets, or closing entirely. Boina admitted she has yet to recover the money she invested, despite feeling emotionally steadier.
Her experience highlights a broader challenge across Africa, where a handful of employees often control cash, inventory and supplier transactions with minimal oversight. A 2022 PwC survey found 63 % of respondents in East Africa had suffered economic crime, well above the global 46 % average. Large retailers are not immune; former supermarket chains Tuskys and Nakumatt collapsed after audits revealed monthly losses of over 100 million Kenya shillings and unaccounted stock worth more than $100 million respectively.
Loss‑prevention firm Hipora Business Solutions East Africa estimates employee theft accounts for more than 60 % of losses reported by small firms. Its boss, John Wanjohi, describes colluding workers as “a cartel that colludes with clients and suppliers to perpetuate theft.” The schemes can be subtle, ranging from cashiers pocketing cash to inflating supplier invoices.
Cris Njoki, founder of the ready‑to‑wear label IKOJN, discovered a staff member had asked suppliers for higher quotes, sharing the surplus with the employee. After confronting the worker, Njoki overhauled procurement, centralising orders and creating a paper trail where finance handles supplier payments directly. Similar narratives emerged from Ghana, where journalist Muftawu Nabila recounted three employees stealing from his electronics shop, the third of whom siphoned up to $30 a day and nearly forced the shop to close.
For many African small businesses, thin profit margins and limited access to finance magnify the impact of such losses. High borrowing costs, volatile tax regimes and low purchasing power restrict owners’ ability to absorb setbacks. When cash, stock or equipment disappear, paying rent, salaries and restocking becomes a gamble; a loss tolerable for a multinational can be fatal for a boutique studio.
Hipora’s interventions show that tightening controls can reverse the trend. At a struggling pharmacy branch, stricter cash‑handling and inventory procedures lifted daily sales from 80,000 to 200,000 Kenya shillings after implementation. Nevertheless, many entrepreneurs only seek specialist help after theft has escalated.
Legal experts warn that investigations must follow due process. Advocate Judith Guserwa advises employers to gather evidence, allow the accused to respond, and document any repayment agreements in writing before terminating or pressing charges.
Boina says the ordeal reshaped her hiring philosophy: “I will be slow to hire and quick to fire. I cannot teach you integrity.” While she works to rebuild her financial footing, her story continues to resonate online, prompting small business owners across the continent to reassess internal safeguards and consider professional loss‑prevention services as a preventative measure.
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