ERP System Prices in Kenya, and When a Custom System Costs Less
Big-brand ERP systems in Kenya can run into millions once licences, partners and customisation are counted. Here's what drives ERP cost, the realistic alternatives for growing SMEs, and how to decide.
An ERP (enterprise resource planning) system ties together sales, purchasing, stock, accounts, HR and reporting. Big names like SAP, Microsoft Dynamics and Oracle NetSuite, and open-source options like Odoo and ERPNext, are all sold in Kenya through implementation partners.
What an ERP really costs
- Licences or subscriptions, often per user per month and often in dollars
- Implementation: the partner's fees to configure, migrate data and train. This is frequently bigger than the licence
- Customisation for Kenyan needs: eTIMS, M-Pesa, statutory payroll
- Yearly support and upgrades
When a custom system costs less
Many Kenyan SMEs pay for an ERP and use 15% of it. If your business has one core workflow (orders to delivery, jobs to invoices, stock to sale), a focused system built around that workflow is often cheaper to own and easier for staff to use. Our custom systems start from KSh 120,000, and they connect to eTIMS and M-Pesa from day one.
How to decide
- Write down the 10 things staff do every day. If an ERP covers them out of the box, an ERP may be right
- Count users. Per-user pricing gets expensive fast
- Ask every vendor for the total three-year cost, not the first-year price
- Insist on data export and on owning your configuration
Antony Mungai
Founder, Steff Cloud — building websites, systems and automation for Kenyan businesses from Nakuru.