— Will You Know What to Do When It Happens?
By Eddie Mugulusi
Let’s not sugarcoat it.
If you run a business in Uganda long enough, someone’s going to steal from you.
Not maybe. Not possibly.
It will happen.
And no—it won’t always look like a break-in or a bag of cement disappearing off the truck.
Sometimes, it’ll be an invoice that looks a little too “rounded off.”
Or stock that quietly walks itself into someone’s cousin’s shop.
Or cash that vanishes into thin air—right after your staff member buys a new phone “on credit.”
Sound familiar?
Let’s talk about it.
The Hard Truth You Don’t Want to Hear
In our work culture today, theft isn’t just an act—it’s often an attitude.
It’s subtle.
It’s systematic.
And it’s weirdly justified.
A lot of employees genuinely believe that if they can find a loophole, they’re entitled to take advantage.
Not out of desperation—but because “it’s there.”
No alarms. No punishment. No trace.
So they take.
And it’s not always the “bad” employees.
Sometimes it’s the loyal one. The one who calls you “boss” with a smile.
The one who even prays for you during Monday devotions.
Yes, that one.
What Theft Actually Looks Like in Small Business
Forget Hollywood. This isn’t “Oceans Eleven.”
Here’s how it really happens:
• A booking officer inflates the invoice—splits the extra with the supplier.
• A sales rep goes upcountry with stock, comes back with stories… and no goods.
• A cashier delays depositing cash, plays with the books, and buys herself “time.”
• A storekeeper swaps your good stock with cheaper ones—and pockets the difference.
No one ever admits it.
They don’t say, “I stole.”
They say, “Eh boss, the system had a glitch.”
Or, “Let me crosscheck—I think I made a small mistake.”
But the money is gone.
And you’re left patching holes in a business that’s quietly bleeding.
Let me give you a real-life story.
There’s a small business owner I know—runs a soft drink and alcohol depot. A stockist, as we call them.
He has a decent setup. Moves product through a fleet of tricycles. Hires sales reps to ride them and deliver to the market daily.
Now, these guys are quite sharp. But not in the way you’d like.
Here’s what they do.
Each morning, they load up—say 100 cartons of soda. They go out, sell 60 cartons, and collect cash.
But instead of selling more, which they easily could, they go to a bigger depot, buy more stock on their own—and spend the rest of the day selling for themselves.
They use his fuel. His tricycles. His time.
To run their secret hustle.
To him, sales look low. The team always stories.
But in the field? These guys are doing full-on business—under his nose.
That’s how theft works in small business.
It’s not always about missing stock. It’s about how people use your systems for their gain while your business slowly dies.
“My Staff Would Never Do That” = Famous Last Words
Let’s be real.
If your defense is, “My people are different,”
then congratulations—you’re the perfect target.
Because while you’re busy trusting blindly,
someone’s busy testing your boundaries.
Not everyone will steal.
But many will—if they can.
And the more disorganized, informal, and undocumented your operations are?
The easier you’ve made it.
So, What’s the Solution? Not Trust. Systems.
You don’t stop theft with hope.
You stop it with structure. With systems. With checks that make stealing hard, annoying, and risky.
Here’s how:
1. Accept the Reality
Start by assuming someone will try to steal.
It’s not pessimism—it’s protection.
You’re not raising saints.
You’re running a business.
2. Document Everything
If your operations are living in people’s heads, you’ve already lost.
Write it all down.
Build SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for:
• How cash is received and banked
• How stock moves in and out
• How invoices are created and recorded
• How suppliers are approved
• How expenses are tracked
Clarity = Control.
3. Enforce Accountability
A system without follow-up is just vibes.
Appoint people to check.
Rotate them. Surprise them.
Audit processes. Randomly. Quietly.
It doesn’t mean you don’t trust.
It means you’re serious.
4. Tighten as You Grow
What worked when you had 3 staff will collapse when you hire 10.
Systems must evolve.
Your weaknesses must shrink as your operations expand.
Don’t wait for a scandal to “start taking things seriously.”
Final Word
Theft in small business isn’t always loud.
It’s often silent. Strategic. Dressed in a smile and a polite voice.
Your job as a business owner isn’t to hope people do the right thing.
It’s to build a business where doing the wrong thing is hard, risky, and traceable.
Because someone will eventually try.
The question is:
Will your business be ready—or will it bleed quietly while you’re still calling them “family”?
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