# How to choose a POS system for your shop in Kenya

> Choose a POS system by testing how it handles the things that go wrong in a Kenyan shop: internet outages, M-Pesa, cash and stock. Check that it keeps selling offline, records M-Pesa properly, prints your KRA PIN, handles VAT, tracks stock per branch, controls what cashiers can do, works with standard hardware, exports your data and offers a free trial.

## In short

- There is no single best POS system in Kenya; choose the one that fits how your shop sells.
- Check offline selling, M-Pesa, KRA PIN on receipts, VAT, stock per branch and cashier permissions first.
- Make sure standard hardware works and that you can export all your records at any time.
- Ask every vendor the same questions in writing, then test the answers in a free trial.

## What is the best POS system in Kenya?

There is no single best POS system in Kenya; the best one for you is the one that fits the way your shop sells. A hardware store selling cable by the metre, a pharmacy tracking expiry dates and a wholesaler with crate prices each need different things.

So rather than a ranking, use the checklist below. Test each point during a free trial, with your own products on your own devices, before you pay anything.

## What should you look for in a POS system?

A good POS system for a Kenyan shop does eleven things well. Each one is on this list because of a problem shop owners run into.

### 1. It keeps selling when the internet is down

Power cuts and slow data bundles are part of running a shop in Kenya, and a POS that stops when the connection drops stops your queue too. Ask whether sales are saved on the till and sent later, then test it: switch off the Wi-Fi during the trial and make a sale. [How offline POS works](https://wavepos.app/guides/offline-pos-explained) covers what to look for.

### 2. It handles M-Pesa properly

Much of what customers pay arrives by M-Pesa. At the least, the till should record M-Pesa as its own payment method, with the transaction code, so you can check it against your statement; [accepting M-Pesa payments](https://wavepos.app/guides/accept-mpesa-payments) explains how. Better still, it can send a payment prompt to the customer's phone.

### 3. It prints your KRA PIN on receipts

Business customers often ask for receipts that show your KRA PIN. Check you can add it, along with your shop name, logo and contact details. Tax rules change, so confirm what your own business needs with KRA or your accountant rather than relying on a vendor's word.

### 4. It handles VAT correctly

If you are registered for VAT, the system must handle goods at different VAT rates, including zero-rated items, and give you a VAT report. Check whether prices are entered with VAT included or added on top, and that the totals on the receipt are right to the shilling.

### 5. It tracks stock per branch

Stock should go down with every sale and up with every delivery, branch by branch, so the figures mean something. If you have, or plan, more than one branch, check that each keeps its own stock and that transfers between them are recorded at both ends.

### 6. It controls who can do what

When several people share a till, you need to know who did what. Look for a separate sign-in for each cashier, permissions that limit discounts, price changes and refunds, a manager's approval for large ones, and a shift close where the cashier counts the drawer and the system shows any shortage.

### 7. It works with standard hardware

You should be able to use ordinary USB barcode scanners and thermal receipt printers bought from any supplier in town. A system that only works with the vendor's own hardware ties you to one supplier for every replacement and repair.

### 8. You can get your records out

Your products, customers and sales belong to you. Check that you can export them to Excel or CSV at any time, without asking the vendor or paying a fee. It is your way out if the system ever stops suiting you.

### 9. Support you can actually reach

Problems tend to arrive on a busy Saturday or at month end. Ask how you reach support (phone, WhatsApp, a ticket in the app), during what hours, and whether it costs extra.

### 10. A pricing model you understand

Know exactly what you will pay: monthly or once, per till or per branch, and what happens to your records if you stop paying. [What a POS system costs in Kenya](https://wavepos.app/guides/pos-system-cost-kenya) lists the hidden costs to ask about.

### 11. A free trial

A demonstration shows you what the vendor wants you to see. A trial lets you load your own products, sell on your own devices, print on your own printer and try a sale with the internet off. Do not buy a POS system you have not used.

## Which questions should you ask a POS vendor?

Ask every vendor the same questions and write the answers in one table, so you compare like with like. These are the ones that matter most:

| Question | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| What happens to a sale if the internet drops halfway through? | You should never lose a sale or have to stop serving |
| How are M-Pesa payments recorded, and can the till send a prompt? | M-Pesa has to add up against your statement every day |
| Can I put my KRA PIN, logo and footer on receipts? | Customers and your accountant need proper receipts |
| How are VAT rates set, and is there a VAT report? | VAT mistakes are costly to put right later |
| Does each branch have its own stock and prices? | Branch figures must not mix |
| Can I stop a cashier giving discounts or refunds without approval? | Discounts and refunds move money without a sale |
| Which scanners and printers work with it? | So you can buy hardware locally |
| Can I export everything to Excel or CSV, at any time? | Your records should never be held back from you |
| How do I reach support, when, and at what cost? | Problems do not keep office hours |
| What do I pay, monthly or once, and per till or per branch? | No surprises on the invoice |
| Is there a free trial, and do I need a card for it? | You should try before you commit |

## How does Wave POS answer the checklist?

Here is how Wave POS answers each point, including where it does not do something. Hold every system you look at to the same standard.

| Checklist point | How Wave POS handles it |
| --- | --- |
| Works offline | Yes. Sales are saved on the till and sent in order when the internet is back; receipt numbers have no gaps, even offline |
| M-Pesa | Records M-Pesa payments with the transaction code, or sends an M-Pesa prompt (STK push) through the shop's own ZetuPay account when the till is online |
| KRA PIN on receipts | Yes, with your logo, your own header and footer, and a QR code for returns |
| VAT | Several tax rates, prices with or without VAT, cash rounding and a VAT report |
| Stock per branch | Yes, with transfers between branches and stock takes of a category or a whole branch |
| Permissions and cash control | Owner, Manager, Cashier and Stock Clerk roles, or your own; a manager's PIN for large discounts and price changes; shifts with a counted close; an audit log |
| Hardware | Any computer or tablet with Chrome, USB barcode scanners, 58 mm and 80 mm thermal printers, and a cash drawer that opens for cash sales |
| Card payments | Recorded as a payment method; Wave POS does not connect to a card machine |
| Data export | Products to Excel or CSV; every report to Excel, CSV or PDF |
| Support | Support tickets from inside the app, and WhatsApp |
| Pricing | Monthly by M-Pesa, from KSh 1,500 a month, or one payment by [quote](https://wavepos.app/quote) |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card needed |

Wave POS does not sell hardware, so you buy your scanner and printer from any supplier. It is built for shops, supermarkets and wholesalers that sell goods over a counter, so it has no restaurant table service, and it is not full accounting software: you will still want your accountant's own books.

## How do you run a fair POS trial?

Run the same short test on two or three systems, spending about an hour on each. The one that makes these steps easiest, and keeps your records straight, is the one to choose.

1. Import 20 of your real products, including one sold by weight or length and one that comes in sizes.
2. Make five sales, including one paid partly in cash and partly by M-Pesa.
3. Switch off the internet, make two more sales, switch it back on and check that they arrive.
4. Print a receipt and check your KRA PIN, the VAT and the layout.
5. Sign in as a cashier and try to give a large discount without a manager.
6. Close a shift, count the cash and read the shift report.
7. Export the day's sales to Excel and open the file.

A shop in Eldoret with two cashiers might find that one system fails at step 3 and another at step 5. Those are the failures that cost money every week, so they matter more than how the screens look. You can run the same seven steps on Wave POS: [start a free trial](https://wavepos.app/signup).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best POS system in Kenya?

There is no single best one. The right POS for your shop keeps selling offline, handles M-Pesa, prints your KRA PIN, deals with VAT, tracks stock per branch and controls what cashiers can do. Test two or three systems in a free trial with your own products before you choose.

### What features should a POS system have?

At least these: offline selling, M-Pesa recording, receipts with your KRA PIN, VAT rates and a VAT report, stock tracking, a separate sign-in for each cashier with permissions, a shift close with a cash count, sales reports, and export to Excel or CSV. Stock per branch matters once you have more than one shop.

### Should a POS system work offline?

Yes, in Kenya it should. Internet outages and power cuts happen, and a till that stops selling stops your queue. A good offline POS saves each sale on the till and sends it when the connection is back, without gaps in the receipt numbers.

### Do I need a POS that connects to my card machine?

Not necessarily. You can take the card payment on your bank’s card machine and record it at the till as a card payment, so your totals by payment method still add up. Wave POS works this way: card is a payment method, and it does not connect to the card machine.

### Can I move my records if I change POS later?

You should be able to. Before you buy, check that products, customers and sales export to Excel or CSV at any time, without a fee. In Wave POS, products export to Excel or CSV and every report exports to Excel, CSV or PDF.

---

Source: https://wavepos.app/guides/how-to-choose-a-pos-system
Last updated: 2026-10-11