Moses Ssekimpi, who owns a farm near Kapeeka, trusted the three farm workers that he employed. After all, they had receipts of both sales and purchases. They had a directory of every farm material and a well-kept data bank of every animal or crop on the farm.
Then one day, he realised he was wrong. While driving towards his farm, he stopped at Kapeeka trading centre to buy a drink. He picked up a conversation with one of the shopkeepers and soon, the conversation shifted to farming in the area.
Incidentally, the shopkeeper did not know that Ssekimpi was the owner of the farm.
“We are lucky that we have that farm in our midst,” the shopkeeper said “Why are you lucky?” Ssekimpi asked, just like any other person would “They sell us food cheaply, especially when one does not ask for a receipt,” he answered.
Until that statement, Ssekimpi had thought that every transaction at the farm was receipted.
“I thought that since everything is receipted, there was no way these people would be cheating me,” he says. But he was wrong. After investigations, he realised that at least 30% of all sales at the farm were not receipted.
He discovered that the three farm workers he had so much trusted were dishonest.
“I advise farmers that receipting alone is not enough. They should maintain an invisible eye on the trading centre or neighbours to the farm,” Ssekimpi advises.
Always have your ear on the ground and look beyond the receipts.
