Lending software for Kenya

M-Pesa made Kenya the birthplace of mobile lending, and CBK licensing has made it one of the most structured digital-credit markets. lendhero arrives with Metropol CRB, IPRS and M-Pesa (Daraja) already connected, so your team configures products instead of plumbing.

See the local stack
  • KES (KSh)
  • English, Swahili
  • 18 local connectors
  • 1–2 weeks to launch

Habari, Wanjiru

ApprovedKSh 20,000

712

Credit score

On-time payments

Monthly paymentKSh 3,930

Market profile

Kenya at a glance

What lendhero is set up for in Kenya before your team logs in.

Currency

KES (KSh)

Languages

English, Swahili

Supervisor

Central Bank of Kenya

Credit data

Metropol CRB, TransUnion Kenya, Creditinfo Kenya

Payout rails

M-Pesa (Daraja), Airtel Money, PesaLink

Data protection

the Data Protection Act 2019

18
local connectors wired in before kickoff
KES
for pricing, payouts and repayments
1–2
weeks from kickoff to the first loan
2
interface languages: English, Swahili

Working with borrowers in Kenya

Tools for every borrower conversation

Borrowers in Kenya apply, sign, pay and come back for repeat loans in English and KES.

Applications in minutes

Borrowers apply on the web or in the app, and staff file applications from the back office. A half-filled form waits for them to come back.

New application

Draft saved
Step 2 of 4 · Personal detailsStep 2/4

Reminders that get read

Approvals, due dates and overdue notices go out by WhatsApp Business and Africa's Talking automatically.

Your application is approvedWhatsApp Business
Your payment is due tomorrowAfrica's Talking
New receipt in your portalInfobip

Rewards for repeat borrowers

Points for on-time payments, promo codes for campaigns and manual adjustments by staff.

WELCOMEfirst loan
Bonus balance1,240 pts

A portal for repeat loans

Repeat borrowers reapply without retyping data, extend or repay from their phone.

Extend loan
Repay early
Refinance

Contracts without paperwork

Loan agreements, extension requests and receipts are generated and e-signed in English.

Loan agreementSigned
Extension requestReady
Payment receiptDraft

Decisioning

Decisions in seconds, explained in plain words

Third-party and built-in checks run in one flow, for individuals and businesses. Every approval and decline shows the rules and scores behind it.

  • Every check in one passAnti-fraud, identification, credit bureaus, sanctions and digital footprint.
  • Rules you can readYour team can answer any borrower about why.

Application #48213

Wanjiru · Consumer loan, 6 months · KSh 20,000

Approved
Credit score712
  • IdentityVerified
  • Anti-fraudPassed
  • Credit bureau712
  • Debt-to-income31%
  • Sanctions & watchlistsClear
Decision time28 s

Local stack

The Kenya stack, connected before kickoff.

Metropol CRB, IPRS, M-Pesa (Daraja) and WhatsApp Business are wired in before launch. Anything else comes through the open API.

  • Credit bureaus & registries3 connectors
    • MMetropol CRB
    • TTransUnion Kenya
    • CCreditinfo Kenya
  • Identity & KYC3 connectors
    • IIPRS
    • SSmile ID
    • YYouverify
  • Bank & alternative data2 connectors
    • MM-Pesa statements
    • BBank statement parsing
  • Disbursement rails3 connectors
    • MM-Pesa (Daraja)
    • AAirtel Money
    • PPesaLink
  • Repayments & collections3 connectors
    • MM-Pesa Paybill
    • AAirtel Money
    • BBank debit
  • Messaging3 connectors
    • WWhatsApp Business
    • AAfrica's Talking
    • IInfobip
  • E-signature2 connectors
    • DDocuSign

Checks and payments

Who borrows and how money moves in Kenya

Applicants are checked with Metropol CRB and TransUnion Kenya, and money moves via M-Pesa (Daraja) and Airtel Money.

Client checks

Checks connected in Kenya:

  • Anti-fraud servicesDevice, behaviour and blacklist checksPass
  • Identity verificationIPRS, Smile ID, YouverifyPass
  • Credit bureausMetropol CRB, TransUnion Kenya, Creditinfo KenyaPass
  • Government registriesNational ID and tax registriesPass
  • Bank and alternative dataM-Pesa statements, Bank statement parsingReview
  • Additional data sourcesTelco, open banking and your own listsAuto

Payment infrastructure

Payment rails connected in Kenya:

DisbursementM-Pesa (Daraja), Airtel Money, PesaLink in KES
RepaymentM-Pesa Paybill, Airtel Money, Bank debit
Status checksEvery payment tracked until it settles
Reversals and refundsCancel or refund with a full audit trail
  • M-Pesa (Daraja)
  • Airtel Money
  • PesaLink
  • M-Pesa Paybill
  • Bank debit

Loan servicing

Every loan and every repayment on one screen

Edit terms, recalculate interest, apply penalties and follow the full schedule without exporting anything.

  • Automatic calculations for every loanInterest, fees and penalties in KES are calculated by a dedicated engine with 200+ configurable parameters. Staff can still adjust any amount by hand, and every change is logged.
  • Loan products in minutesSet up consumer, instalment and business products with their rules and scenarios in the admin panel, without a release.
  • Notifications tied to every calculationEach due date, penalty and recalculation sends the right message to the borrower and your team.

Loan #48213

KSh 20,000

On track
Auto-calculated · 200+ parametersManual edit
Repaid KSh 7,130 of KSh 21,4002 of 6 payments
DateAmountStatus
Sep 4KSh 3,570Paid
Oct 4KSh 3,570Paid
Nov 4KSh 3,570Due in 7 days
Dec 4KSh 3,570Upcoming
Jan 4KSh 3,570Upcoming
Reminder sentYour payment of KSh 3,570 is due Nov 4

Loan flow

How a loan runs in Kenya. Five steps, all local.

  1. 01ApplyBorrowers apply on the web, in the app or via WhatsApp, with forms in English and Swahili.
  2. 02VerifyIdentity and documents are checked through IPRS and Smile ID.
  3. 03DecideScorecards pull Metropol CRB and TransUnion Kenya data and return a decision in seconds.
  4. 04DisburseFunds go out via M-Pesa (Daraja) or Airtel Money in KES, straight after signing.
  5. 05CollectRepayments arrive via M-Pesa Paybill and Airtel Money, with reminders over WhatsApp Business.

Portals

One platform, three portals

Everyone works in the same system and sees only what their role allows.

My loan

KSh 20,000

Next payment

KSh 3,570 · Nov 4

Pay now

Extend loan

Customer portal

Borrowers apply, repay, extend and track loans online.

Applications

WanjiruVerifierApproved
Daniel O.AnalystReview
Maria L.RiskApproved
Tomas K.AnalystDeclined
Lena P.VerifierReview

Staff portal

Managers, analysts, risk, verifiers and collectors work side by side.

Role · Verifier

12 users
View applications
Verify documents
Approve loans
Edit loan terms
Export reports

Super-admin portal

Products, roles, permissions and rules change without a release.

Products

What lenders in Kenya launch on .

Mobile-money loansDigital credit for licensed digital credit providers, paid via M-Pesa.
Chama and group lendingLoans to savings groups with shared guarantees.
Asset financingPay-as-you-go phones, motorbikes and solar kits.

Compliance

Configured for CBK and the Data Protection Act 2019.

lendhero is software: the licence stays yours. We set the platform up for the rules you operate under in Kenya.

Hosting & data residency

Cloud or on-premise deployment, with data stored where the Data Protection Act 2019 requires.

Consent & privacy

Borrower consents are captured, versioned and logged under the Data Protection Act 2019.

Pricing & disclosures

Rates, fees and cost-of-credit disclosures set per product for CBK rules.

Audit trail

Every decision, edit and message is logged for internal and external audits.

More markets in East Africa

All Africa markets

Questions

Frequently asked

Didn’t find the answer? Write to us and we’ll reply within one business day.

Can lendhero run a lending business in Kenya?+

Yes. The platform is set up for KES, English and Swahili and CBK requirements, with 18 local connectors ready on day one.

Which credit data sources are connected in Kenya?+

Metropol CRB, TransUnion Kenya, Creditinfo Kenya. On top of that, identity checks run through IPRS, Smile ID and Youverify and bank data comes from M-Pesa statements and Bank statement parsing.

How do borrowers get paid and repay?+

Payouts go out via M-Pesa (Daraja), Airtel Money and PesaLink in KES. Repayments arrive via M-Pesa Paybill, Airtel Money and Bank debit, with reminders over WhatsApp Business and Africa's Talking.

How long does a launch in Kenya take?+

Usually 1–2 weeks from kickoff to the first loan, including connecting 18 local services, product setup, staff training and a test run.

Can we run several countries on one platform?+

Yes. One installation serves several countries, each with its own currency, products, languages and local connectors.

Book a demo

Lending in Kenya? Let’s plan the launch.

We’ll walk you through the platform, show what matters for your products and answer questions about your business.

  • A 30-minute call
  • A walkthrough on your products and markets
  • Answers on timeline, integrations and pricing

Tell us about your lending

We reply within one business day.

By sending this form you agree that lendhero may contact you about your request. See our Privacy Policy.