Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Business Central is a strong Kenyan mid-market ERP for distributors, manufacturers and NGOs, with several Nairobi partners offering eTIMS (VSCU-style system integration) and Kenyan payroll extensions. Budget about KSh 10,393–14,290 per full user per month at list plus implementation.
Last verified 28 Oct 2026 · Reviewed by Accounting Software Africa editorial, Publisher editorial desk. Tax figures are cited to the Nigeria Tax Act 2025. Assign a named ICAN reviewer in this field before treating a page as a signed professional opinion.
- Product kind
- All-in-one
- Made in
- Denmark (Navision lineage) / United States
- Headquarters
- United States
- Founded
- 2018
Strengths
- Not African-made
- Accounting plus inventory in one ERP
- Microsoft 365 and Excel integration
- Large partner network
What it actually is
Business Central is the step up from QuickBooks, Xero or Sage for companies that now need purchasing, warehouses, item costing and approvals inside the ledger. It grew out of Navision, runs in Microsoft’s cloud, and is configured by a partner who also usually supplies the African country localisation.
Features
| Feature | Coverage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Double-entry ledger | Core strength | Dimensions, deferrals, multiple companies in one tenant. |
| Inventory | Core strength | Locations, item costing methods (FIFO, average, standard), assembly; manufacturing on Premium. |
| Approvals | Strong | Purchase and payment approval workflows built in. |
| Multi-currency | Strong | Exchange-rate adjustment batch revalues open entries. |
| Financial reports | Strong | Financial reporting, Excel round-trips and Power BI apps. |
| Fixed assets | Strong | Fixed asset register and depreciation books. |
| Bank feeds | Present | Bank reconciliation with statement import; live feeds depend on the bank and a partner connector. |
| E-invoicing | Present | eTIMS, GRA E-VAT and NRS connectors exist from partners/AppSource, not from Microsoft. |
| VAT | Present | VAT posting setup is flexible; local return reports come from the partner. |
| Payroll / PAYE | Limited | Payroll is a partner extension per country, or an external payroll posted as journals. |
| Accountant portal | Present | Free External Accountant licence. |
Africa reach
| Countries | Presence |
|---|---|
 Nigeria | Partner-led |
 Ghana | Partner-led |
 Kenya | Partner-led |
 South Africa | Partner-led |
Pricing
| Plan | Amount | Billing | Includes | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials (per full user) | Ksh 10,393 | Monthly | $80/user/month list. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Premium (per full user) | Ksh 14,290 | Monthly | $110/user/month list; manufacturing and service. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Team Member | Ksh 1,039 | Monthly | $8/user/month. | 28 Oct 2026 |
Compliance
| Requirement | Status | Note | Verified on |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-invoicing | Via third party | Partner eTIMS extensions; check KRA approval. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| VAT filing | Partial | 16% VAT setup; VAT3 layout from partner. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| WHT | Partial | Partner localisation. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| PAYE | Via third party | Kenyan payroll extensions from partners or external payroll. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Local COA | Supported | Configurable with dimensions. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Multi-currency | Supported | USD/KES with revaluation. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Bank feeds | Partial | Statement import; M-Pesa via extensions. | 28 Oct 2026 |
Best for
- Distributors and manufacturers
- NGOs with donor dimensions
- Microsoft 365 organisations
Not suitable for
- Small service businesses
- Buyers without implementation budget
Local support
Nairobi has an active Microsoft Dynamics partner market; many partners also cover Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Migration notes
8–16 weeks typical. Test eTIMS end to end, including credit notes and failed-transmission retries, before cutover.
What does Business Central cost in Kenya?
At KSh 129.91 per dollar: Essentials about KSh 10,393, Premium about KSh 14,290 and Team Members about KSh 1,039 per user per month. Implementation is quoted by the partner.
How do Business Central customers handle eTIMS?
Through partner extensions that transmit invoices system-to-system. For high volumes, VSCU-style integration avoids per-invoice latency. Ask how rejected invoices are surfaced to the finance team.
Is Kenyan payroll available?
Partners sell Kenyan payroll extensions covering PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and Housing Levy; others integrate PaySpace or Workpay and post journals.
Sources
- ERP Research — Business Central pricing 2026 28 Oct 2026
- KRA eTIMS income and expense validation (guide) 28 Oct 2026
- FaidiHR — PAYE, NSSF and SHIF explained 28 Oct 2026
- Central Bank of Kenya exchange rates 28 Oct 2026
Keep reading
- SAP Business One in Kenya
The usual competitor.
- Business Central in Nigeria
How Nigeria differs.
Related in Kenya
- How to choose accounting software in Kenya
- QuickBooks Online is still widely used by Kenyan accounting firms, but in 2026 it carries an eTIMS tax: Intuit does not ship a KRA integration, so you need a third-party connector, and you pay in dollars. For a new Kenyan SME, Zoho Books is cheaper and eTIMS-ready; QuickBooks makes sense when your accountant’s practice runs on it.
- Kenya has one of the deepest SAP Business One partner benches in Africa, which makes B1 a credible ERP for Nairobi distributors, manufacturers and regional groups expanding into Uganda and Tanzania. Pricing is partner-quoted; eTIMS integration is a partner deliverable you should see working at another customer.
- Odoo is the most flexible ERP route for Kenyan SMEs that want accounting, inventory, POS, CRM and payroll in one system. A Kenyan payroll localisation exists in Odoo’s app store, and Nairobi partners ship eTIMS connectors. Quality depends heavily on the partner, and per-user pricing is regionalised — get the shilling quote.
- Tyms suits Kenyan founders and accounting firms who need books caught up and kept current from bank and M-Pesa statements, at $200 per seat per year (about KSh 25,982). It is not an eTIMS integrator, so VAT-registered businesses still need eTIMS invoicing elsewhere — Zoho Books beats Tyms on that for most Kenyan SMEs. Tyms Inc. publishes this site.
- Zoho Books is the best default for Kenyan SMEs in 2026: shilling pricing from KSh 849 a month billed annually, eTIMS transmission on every paid plan as a KRA-approved OSCU integrator, VAT3 return reports, and a direct M-Pesa integration in the Kenya edition. Prices exclude VAT; growing teams hit the user caps before the feature caps.
- PaySpace, now Deel Local Payroll, is a strong choice for Kenyan employers that want a cloud payroll engine maintained for 2026 rules — PAYE, NSSF with the KSh 6,480 cap, SHIF at 2.75% and the Housing Levy — especially groups also paying staff in other African countries. Pricing is by quote.
- TallyPrime is the strongest option in Kenya for inventory-heavy traders who want to own a licence rather than rent software: KSh 57,600 for Silver or KSh 172,800 for multi-user Gold, excluding VAT, with direct eTIMS integration, QR codes and eTIMS status reports. It is desktop software, so remote teams need hosting.