Esther Njoroge is the founder and CEO of Bountiful Safaris, a leading tours and travel company.
The company offers among other services local safaris and trips to among other countries Zanzibar, Thailand and Dubai.
Njoroge has also been making headlines in the recent past over controversies surrounding her exit from Bonfore Adventures.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Njoroge is the second born in a family of four children.
She spent her early life in Bogita, Thika before her family later relocated and settled in Nyahururu, Nyandarua County.
Following the completion of her secondary school education, Njoroge joined the University of Nairobi (UoN) where he pursued a degree in social sciences.
She later landed an internship opportunity with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) where she was involved in community service.
Njoroge later landed a job as a travel consultant earning Ksh 6,000 per month, which would then be increased to Ksh 10,000.
She was later introduced to a web developer who helped her start a website under the name, Boutiful Safaris, where she would advertise tours and travels.
However, in 2009, she joined Bonfire Adventures where she was warning Ksh 15,000 per month excluding commissions.
“Beside the monthly salary, the top three performers would earn 10 percent commission,” Njoroge said.
Despite being a new job, Njoroge said she adapted to the new environment quickly, subsequently earning good commissions.
“I was making good commissions; I would make up to Ksh 100,000 per month in commissions,” she added.
In an interview with Lynn Ngugi, Njoroge also explained how the work environment slowly turned toxic.
“Sometimes I don’t like talking about it but at the end of the day, I say the experience changed my life in a way; I learnt something
“It was not easy, what I went through, I would never want anyone to ever fo through because it messed me up and I had to quit employment,” she said.
Njoroge recalled an instance where she was demeaned, alongside her friends, and told to leave the company to go and open a brothel.
“It sunk into me; it damaged me and I was like, ‘if I could do that I would have done it when I was a young girl’
“We have our own negativity but there are words that you are not supposed to tell people who have worked for you,” she said.
Following the humiliating incident, she decided never to go into employment ever again, and turned her focus to her inactive website.
With the help of a friend, they also opened a Facebook page for purposes of advertising hotels and tour packages.
Njoroge organized a trip to Mombasa after which she was referred to an embassy who were willing to pay her Ksh 1 million.
A friend helped her open a bank account while another friend offered her a office space in Kilimani before moving to her own office in Westlands.
During the interview, Njoroge also told how comedian Njugush and his wife, Celestine Ndida, helped her market the company.
“When I met Celestine and Njugush that was my turning point, I met them and by the time we were leaving that meeting, they were excited to work with me
“I was still struggling but they were there with me. Since the time they started marketing our company, everything about the company changed,” she stated.
Following the interview with Lynn Ngugi, a source at Bonfire Adventures countered the accusations by Njoroge.
According to Mpasho, the Bountiful Safaris CEO was fired after being caught in a compromising position with one of the company’s directors.
She was also accused of being involved in an alleged loss of Ksh 20 million at the company.
Bonfire Adventures Managing Director, Sarah Kabu, had opened a case over the same but later dropped after mediation from well-wishers.
