Payroll & HR software
that actually fits
your business
PawaHR gives Kenyan SMEs one platform for payroll, leave, compliance, and bank payment files. Built for the way you work, not borrowed from somewhere else.
Everything your team needs
One platform covering the full employee lifecycle — from onboarding to payroll — built around how Kenyan businesses actually operate.
Built for Kenya, not bolted on
Generic HR tools force you to work around them. PawaHR is designed around Kenyan payroll, compliance, and the way your team already works.
Kenya-first compliance
KRA PAYE, SHIF, NSSF, and AHL are built directly into the payroll engine — no plugins, no manual rate lookups.
M-Pesa payouts — coming soon
Bank payment files work today. M-Pesa payouts to employee phones are next.
Compliance you can prove
Generate P9A certificates and SHIF and NSSF remittance files for the monthly returns. Every action is audit-logged.
See PawaHR in action
A quick look at the core workflows your team will use every day.
Simple, predictable pricing
Pay by employee band — not per feature. Core HR tools are available from the free Starter plan, and advanced payroll and compliance capabilities unlock as your team grows.
- Leave management
- Attendance & clock in/out
- Employee profiles
- Notifications
- All Starter features, plus
- Payroll engine + KRA P9A
- Bank payment files — M-Pesa coming soon
- Payslip PDF generation
- Basic reports & exports
- All Growth features, plus
- Department management
- Audit log & compliance
- Document management
- SHIF/NSSF remittance exports
- Manager self-service
- Leave calendar
Built around Kenyan law
Every payroll run is fully compliant by default. No manual calculations, no KRA surprises, no missed remittances.
- Current KRA PAYE bands built in
- Personal relief auto-applied
- P9A certificate generation
- Current SHIF rates
- NSSF Tier I & II
- Affordable Housing Levy (1.5% employee/employer)
- Remittance files for the monthly returns
- Bank payment file export
- M-Pesa payouts — coming soon
Your employee data is protected
PawaHR is built to keep sensitive HR and payroll data safe — from encryption to access control and auditability.
Encrypted in transit
Every connection to PawaHR uses HTTPS.
Role-based access control
Admin, HR, Manager, and Employee roles see only what they need. Sensitive actions are limited by role and logged.
Audit logs
Every sensitive action is tracked and immutable. You can see who changed what, when, and why.
Built to Kenya's Data Protection Act
Employee data is handled under the DPA 2019 — lawful basis recorded, access controlled by role, every change audit-logged and retained. Access and erasure requests are supported.
Your own records only
Employees see only their own payslips, leave, and documents; payroll figures stay with HR and Admin.
Approved before anyone is paid
Every payroll run is reviewed and approved before payment, and an approved run locks against edits.
PawaHR does not currently hold SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications. We focus on baseline security practices aligned with Kenyan data protection requirements.
See PawaHR for yourself
Book a personalised walkthrough with our team. We’ll show you how PawaHR fits your team size, industry, and payroll setup.
Book a DemoQuestions, answered
The things SME owners and HR managers ask us most.
Every connection to PawaHR is encrypted, access is controlled through role-based permissions — Admin, HR, Manager, and Employee each see only what they should — and every sensitive action is audit-logged.
Not yet. On 25 September 2026 we asked the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) to confirm whether a company of our size must register as a data controller and processor, and whether we can register voluntarily. We'll update this answer when they reply. Registered or not, the Data Protection Act, 2019 applies to how we handle your employees' data.
You simply move to the next tier — no penalties, no surprise charges, no disruption. Our bands are deliberately wide so most companies aren't constantly hitting tier boundaries.
No. PawaHR is built for business owners and team leads, not specialists. PAYE, SHIF, and NSSF calculations happen automatically on every payroll run — you review and approve, the system does the math. If you can use M-Pesa, you can use PawaHR.
Not yet. Today PawaHR prepares a payment file for your bank; M-Pesa payouts are coming soon.
The core platform — leave, payroll, statutory compliance, and bank payment files — is built and working. Early access means we're onboarding a limited first cohort so every company gets dedicated setup support. In return, early adopters get direct input on what we build next.
Yes. Your data is yours — employee records, payroll history, and reports can be exported at any time. No lock-in, no hostage data. We'd rather keep you with a good product than a closed door.
Be among the first
Join the waitlist and get early access to PawaHR before public launch.
- Early access before public launch
- Dedicated onboarding support
- Direct input on features