Peter Wachira

Peter Wachira is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tripitaca, and he sets the company's vision and strategy. Knowing firsthand the challenges that his fellow accommodation providers face, he is guided by empathy for his peers, and every solution and decision he makes comes from a place of deep understanding. Peter opened his first vacation rental in 2019, quickly finding that 80 percent of his reservations came from agencies and intermediaries who demanded exorbitant commissions. Recognizing this, he quickly shifted his focus to the packaged vacation market, only to discover that the market was oversaturated with travel agents who dictated the market. Despite the challenges, he steadily grew his portfolio of vacation rentals to 130 units and went on to establish his own property management company, Luna Blue Realty.

When the pandemic struck, all lodging providers were struggling; agents, as the only link to the market, took advantage of this and raised their demands; they dictated the market, and he had no alternative but to work with them. Their demands rose over time, and those who couldn't meet them were forced to close their doors, causing him to lose 30% of his portfolio.

As the pandemic's impacts waned, something interesting happened in the African market: with hotels heavily controlled and most closed, demand for vacation rentals rose. When he realized this, he contacted his friend Collins Muthinja, a tech whiz, and the two of them set up Tripitaca. A startup that aims to provide vacation rentals access to the packaged holiday market and break the continent's travel agent monopoly.

Peter, a law graduate with an MBA from Tangaza University, is passionate about people and travel. Empathy, Equality, Fairness, and Belonging have been deeply ingrained in the company culture, product, and community that aims to prioritize people.

He founded his first company at the age of 20 to address water issues in his community; the company partnered with local MFIs and banks to provide affordable water filters on a Buy now pay later model; he went on to win first place in an African pitching competition, where he raised a significant amount of funding in grants and loans for the company (A remote youth venture), which later merged with Pure Aqua.

Peter continues to manage his vacation rentals on Tripitaca and has ensured that all of his staff members are also property managers on the platform, allowing them to all firsthand experience difficulties experienced by their peers and empathetically offer solutions.