Van sales and field sales software for distributors in Kenya

Van Sales Software for Distributors in Kenya

FieldSales is cloud software for Kenyan distributors and wholesalers that run van sales, pre-sales order taking and collections. Reps invoice dukas, kiosks and stockists from an Android or iPhone app, print on Bluetooth thermal printers and record cash, M-Pesa or bank-transfer receipts, even with no network, syncing later. Managers follow routes, visits, van stock and customer balances on a web dashboard. You set the currency, VAT and payment methods in your own settings. Electronic tax invoices for KRA still go through your own eTIMS solution.

How goods reach dukas and kiosks in Kenya

Everyday consumer goods in Kenya still move mostly through traditional trade: dukas, kiosks, market stalls and hawkers, supplied by stockists, wholesalers and sub-distributors, while supermarkets carry the modern-trade share. A common chain runs from manufacturer to agent, distributor, stockist and then the shop, with larger distributors operating regional depots and working through sub-distributors. Key hubs include Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret (FrontierView). Fleets range from trucks and pick-ups to motorbikes. Shoppers buy little and often from the duka, kiosk or market stall (Business Daily). For van sales teams, the challenge is getting to the shop first and keeping tight control of the stock on the van and the cash collected (Bizcommunity). Retailers pay in cash, by mobile money such as M-Pesa (the Central Bank of Kenya counts more than 97 million registered mobile money accounts) or by bank transfer, and wholesalers and stockists also buy on credit.

VAT, KRA PIN and what goes on an invoice

Kenya charges Value Added Tax (VAT), administered by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). The standard rate is 16%. Zero-rated supplies listed in the Second Schedule of the VAT Act are taxed at 0%, while exempt supplies in the First Schedule carry no VAT and give no input tax deduction. Advisers such as Grant Thornton Kenya have reported a temporary reduced rate of 8% on petrol, diesel and kerosene; its current end date is not confirmed, so check KRA's latest notice before applying it. Registration is compulsory once taxable supplies over 12 months reach the registration threshold, and voluntary below it (KRA). Taxpayers are identified by their KRA PIN: KRA notes that PINs for companies and other non-individuals usually start with P0, and those for individuals with A0. As summarised by EY, the electronic tax invoice rules require the seller's PIN, date and time, a serial number, the buyer's PIN where the buyer wants to claim the expense or input VAT, the KRA item code, description, quantity, unit of measure and tax rate per item, the gross total and total tax where applicable, unique system and invoice identifiers, and a QR code. Credit and debit notes must refer to the original invoice, and VAT should only be shown on a taxable supply. In FieldSales you set the tax name (VAT), the rate and the currency (KES) in your settings, and you can show your KRA PIN on printed documents. FieldSales does not change tax rates automatically, so when KRA announces a change you update the setting yourself.

eTIMS: electronic tax invoicing in Kenya

Kenya's electronic tax invoicing runs through eTIMS (Electronic Tax Invoice Management System), operated by the Kenya Revenue Authority alongside the older TIMS, which works through TIMS-enabled ETR devices. Under section 23A of the Tax Procedures Act, added by the Finance Act 2023, and the Tax Procedures (Electronic Tax Invoice) Regulations 2024, every person carrying on business, VAT-registered or not, must record each sale, issue an electronic tax invoice and transmit it to KRA through TIMS or eTIMS (KRA). There is no B2B or B2C split, and each invoice carries a QR code that can be checked by scanning it or through the Invoice Number Checker on iTax. KRA's public notice of 27 December 2023 applied the requirement to businesses not registered for VAT from 1 September 2023, with onboarding due by 31 March 2024. Since 1 January 2024, expenses not supported by an electronic tax invoice are not allowed as income tax deductions (KRA), and from 1 January 2026 iTax checks income tax returns against eTIMS/TIMS data (KPMG). The Finance Act 2026, assented to on 23 June 2026, revises the penalty for failing to issue an electronic tax invoice: after a notice asking for reasons, it becomes the higher of 5% of the tax due or a fixed minimum amount. EY's alert does not state when this change takes effect. On 7 September 2026 KRA announced a stock management function in TIMS/eTIMS under which users keep accurate, up-to-date records of goods purchased, received, sold, transferred, returned and adjusted; consultation sessions were to begin in September 2026, and the notice sets no mandatory date (KRA). KRA offers several routes onto the system: eTIMS Lite (web through eCitizen, USSD *222# and a mobile app) for small businesses not registered for VAT, eTIMS Client for Windows, Android, tablets and PDAs, an online portal for service-only suppliers issuing up to 10 invoices a month, and system-to-system integration through OSCU for always-online systems or VSCU for bulk invoicing and systems that are not always connected; these are developed and tested in KRA's sandbox and then vetted by KRA before go-live. VAT-registered businesses already using TIMS ETR devices may keep using them. For a distributor, this means every van sale needs an eTIMS or TIMS invoice, and the duka or wholesaler buying from you needs that invoice to deduct the expense.

FieldSales does not send invoices to KRA, and the invoices it prints are commercial documents, not electronic tax invoices. A direct connection to Kenya's government e-invoicing is available on request: we would study the country's requirements first, with no promise of an outcome or a date.

Collections: cash, M-Pesa, bank transfer and credit

On a Kenyan route, the rep both sells and collects. Reps take cash at dukas and kiosks, receive M-Pesa payments, follow up with stockists and wholesalers who buy on credit, and some customers settle by bank transfer. In FieldSales you define the payment methods your company actually uses, for example Cash, M-Pesa and Bank transfer, and every collection receipt a rep issues is recorded under one of them. Receipts reduce the customer's outstanding balance, so managers can see who owes what by customer and by rep, and how much each rep is holding before the van returns. Credit sales stay on the customer's account until they are collected. FieldSales does not pull payments from M-Pesa automatically: the receipt records what the rep collected, and your office matches it against your own M-Pesa records.

How FieldSales works for a Kenyan distributor

Set it up once: choose KES as your currency, name the tax VAT and enter the rate, then add your payment methods, products and units, price lists, customers and routes. Reps work from the Android or iPhone app and managers from the web dashboard. The app keeps working without network coverage: invoices and receipts are saved on the phone and sync when the connection returns, which matters on rural routes. Reps print invoices and receipts on Bluetooth thermal printers. Stock loaded onto each van is held in the rep's custody and reconciled when the van comes back. Visits along the route are logged with GPS location and photos, so supervisors can see which outlets were covered. The interface is available in English, Arabic, French, Turkish and Chinese; Swahili is not offered. FieldSales is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Sample layout of a FieldSales sales invoice in Kenya

Layout example only, with no amounts. This is the rep's commercial document; the electronic tax invoice for KRA is issued through your eTIMS solution.

Field	Example
Seller	Your company name, address and KRA PIN (company PINs usually start with P0)
Invoice number	Sequential number generated by the app
Date and time	Date and time of the sale
Customer	Duka or stockist name and area
Customer KRA PIN	Optional, when the customer provides one
Sales rep and route	Rep name, van and route of the day
Items	Item code, description, quantity and unit (carton, piece)
Tax	Tax name and rate from your settings, e.g. VAT 16%
Totals	Subtotal, VAT and total, calculated by the app
Payment	Cash, M-Pesa, bank transfer or credit
Signatures	Customer and rep signatures, if enabled

Frequently asked questions

Does FieldSales replace our eTIMS invoicing or ETR device? No. FieldSales does not send invoices to KRA, and the invoices it prints are not electronic tax invoices. Each sale still needs a tax invoice issued through your own eTIMS solution, such as eTIMS Client or a system-to-system setup, or through a TIMS ETR device. A direct connection to Kenya's government e-invoicing is available on request: we would study the requirements first, with no commitment on outcome or timing.

Will the rep app work on routes with no network? Yes. Reps can issue invoices and collection receipts and print them with no connection. Everything is stored on the phone and syncs to the web dashboard when the network returns.

How does a rep record an M-Pesa payment from a duka? Add M-Pesa as a payment method in your settings. When a customer pays, the rep issues a collection receipt and selects M-Pesa, and the payment comes off that customer's balance. FieldSales does not read M-Pesa transactions itself, so your office matches the receipts against your own M-Pesa records.

Can we sell on credit to stockists and track what they owe? Yes. Credit invoices stay on the customer's account, collection receipts reduce the balance, and managers can follow outstanding balances by customer and by rep from the dashboard.

Can we work in Kenyan shillings with VAT at 16%? Yes. The currency (KES), the tax name (VAT) and the rate are your own settings. FieldSales does not change rates automatically, so if KRA changes a rate, for example a temporary rate on fuel, you update the setting yourself.

Is the app available in Swahili? Not at the moment. The interface is available in English, Arabic, French, Turkish and Chinese, so Kenyan teams can use it in English.

Sources

Last verified: November 2026

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