How to choose the best POS system in Kenya

The four things a Kenyan POS must do

• KRA eTIMS: every receipt and credit note sent to KRA, with KRA's invoice number and QR code on the receipt, and a queue that resends anything that failed.
• M-Pesa: an STK push to the customer's phone for the exact amount, and payments to your Buy Goods till or Paybill matched to the bill, so the cashier never types or reads out a code.
• Offline selling: tills that keep selling and printing when the internet or the power goes, and send everything (to the cloud and to KRA) when the line is back.
• Fit for your trade: the screens your staff actually use. A restaurant needs tables, a kitchen display and split bills; a bar needs tots and bottle measures; a supermarket needs fast barcode lanes, weighing scales and promotions; a pharmacy needs batches and expiry; a wholesaler needs quotations, delivery notes and customer credit.

Then check these

• Stock you can trust: goods received against purchase orders, transfers between branches, stock takes, and reorder alerts.
• Branches: one back office for every outlet, with prices, stock and reports per branch and for the whole business.
• Staff controls: a PIN per person, roles that limit discounts, voids and refunds, and a shift close that shows cash and M-Pesa against what the tills recorded.
• Hardware: works with the printers, cash drawers, scanners and scales you can buy locally, so a broken printer is fixed the same day.
• Your data: export products, customers and sales to Excel at any time, and import them from your old system when you start.
• Support: a Kenyan phone and WhatsApp number, setup and staff training at your premises, and support hours that cover the days you trade.

Questions to ask every POS vendor

1. Show me a sale going to KRA eTIMS, and a credit note. What happens if KRA cannot be reached?
2. Show me an M-Pesa STK push and a Buy Goods payment being matched to a bill.
3. Unplug the internet. Can I still sell, print and take payments? What syncs later?
4. What does it cost a month for my number of outlets and tills, and what costs extra (setup, training, hardware, SMS, eTIMS)?
5. Is there a contract? How do I get my data out if I leave?
6. Who do I call at 8 pm on a Saturday?

What it costs

Most POS systems in Kenya are sold as a monthly subscription per outlet or per till, with hardware bought once. NanoPOS plans start at KES 1,990 a month per outlet, with M-Pesa and KRA eTIMS included and no contract. See the guide on POS costs for the full picture.

Where NanoPOS fits

NanoPOS is built in Nairobi for all of the trades above, in one system: restaurants, bars, hotels, supermarkets, pharmacies and wholesalers, and businesses that run several of them under one roof. It integrates with KRA eTIMS, takes M-Pesa by STK push and till or paybill matching, and keeps selling offline with a branch hub for bigger sites. Whatever you choose, run the six questions above in a live demo before you sign.