Accounting and stock for Kenyan shops
Ring up sales at the till, take M-Pesa without checking your phone, and watch stock go down as you sell. Every sale lands in your books with its VAT, so the day's profit is there when you close.
Made for
- Supermarkets and minimarts
- Hardware stores
- Chemists and pharmacies
- Agrovets
- Electronics and phone shops
- Boutiques and cosmetics
- Bookshops and stationers
What you'll use
- Till with shifts and cash counts
- M-Pesa prompts and automatic matching
- Stock at average cost, with low-stock warnings
- Sell in cartons or pieces
- Loyalty points
- Online shop
The problems
What gets in the way, and how MannaBooks fixes it
Cash that doesn't add up
Each cashier opens a shift with a float and counts the drawer at the end. MannaBooks shows what should be there, by cash and M-Pesa, so a shortage shows the same day.
M-Pesa messages to check by hand
Send a payment prompt to the customer's phone from the till. When they enter their PIN the sale is marked paid; no screenshots, no reading SMS.
Stock you can't trust
Goods received add to stock and every sale takes it out at average cost. Stock takes show the difference, and low-stock warnings tell you what to reorder.
A day with MannaBooks
How the work flows
- 1
Open the shift
The cashier opens a shift with the float in the drawer.
- 2
Sell
Find products, sell a carton or a single piece, and take cash, M-Pesa or both.
- 3
Receive goods
The store keeper records the delivery against the LPO; stock and the supplier's bill are updated.
- 4
Close and count
The cashier counts the drawer. MannaBooks compares it with the shift's cash sales and records any difference.
- 5
See the day
Sales, cost of sales and gross profit for the day, with VAT ready for the month's return.
Worked example
A hardware shop
A customer buys 10 bags of cement at KES 950 a bag (VAT inclusive) and pays by M-Pesa. The shop's average cost is KES 780 a bag.
- 1.The cashier adds 10 bags of cement to the sale; MannaBooks fills in the price from the product.
- 2.A payment prompt goes to the customer's phone; they enter their PIN and the sale is marked paid.
- 3.Cement in stock drops from 120 to 110 bags.
- 4.The sale, the VAT, the M-Pesa money and the cost of the cement are posted to the books.
| Sale (VAT inclusive) | KES 9,500.00 |
| VAT at 16% | KES 1,310.34 |
| Sales before VAT | KES 8,189.66 |
| Cost of the cement (10 × 780) | KES 7,800.00 |
| Gross profit | KES 389.66 |
Cement margins are thin; MannaBooks shows them exactly, so you price the rest of the shop with your eyes open.
An illustrative example with made-up figures, not a customer.
Use cases
The jobs MannaBooks does for you
Sell at the till
A fast till with shifts, cash counts, M-Pesa and loyalty points.
Get paid by M-Pesa
Payment prompts to customers' phones, and paybill payments that match themselves to invoices.
Keep stock you can trust
Stock in every warehouse at average cost, with transfers, stock takes and low-stock warnings.
Sell online
Your own shop page: customers order, pay by M-Pesa, and orders become sales.
Stay right with KRA
VAT on every document, withholding tax on payments, and the VAT summary for your return.
Questions
Can I sell in cartons and in pieces?
Yes. Give a product extra units, such as a carton of 12, each with its own price. Stock is kept in the base unit, so selling a carton takes out 12 pieces.
Does it work with my own M-Pesa till or paybill?
Yes. Each business connects its own Daraja account, so the money goes straight to you. MannaBooks never holds your money.
Can more than one cashier use it?
Yes. Each cashier signs in with their own account and opens their own shift, so every count is theirs.
More questions? Read the FAQ or talk to us.
Other industries
Try MannaBooks with your business
30 days of every feature, free. No card needed.