SAP Business One
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.
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
- Israel (TopManage) / Germany
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Founded
- 2002
Strengths
- Not African-made
- Distribution and inventory depth
- Strong partner bench in East and Southern Africa
- On-premise or partner-hosted
What it actually is
SAP Business One is an ERP for distributors, light manufacturers and multi-branch traders who want one system for sales, purchasing, stock and the ledger. Licences, hosting and localisation are all sold by partners, so the experience is only as good as the implementer.
Features
| Feature | Coverage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory | Core strength | Warehouses, batches, serials, landed costs. |
| Double-entry ledger | Strong | Full GL with cost centres; posting periods and approvals. |
| Approvals | Strong | Approval procedures on sales and purchasing documents. |
| Multi-currency | Strong | Exchange-rate differences and revaluation built in. |
| Financial reports | Strong | Standard financials plus SAP Crystal/analytics. |
| POS | Limited | Retail POS via partner add-ons. |
| E-invoicing | Present | Partners ship eTIMS and GRA connectors; confirm certification per partner. |
| Payroll / PAYE | Limited | Third-party payroll add-ons or separate payroll software. |
| Bank feeds | Limited | File-based bank statement processing. |
Africa reach
| Countries | Presence |
|---|---|
 Nigeria | Partner-led |
 Ghana | Partner-led |
 Kenya | Partner-led |
 South Africa | Partner-led |
Pricing
| Plan | Amount | Billing | Includes | As of |
|---|
Compliance
| Requirement | Status | Note | Verified on |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-invoicing | Via third party | Partner eTIMS add-ons; verify KRA approval. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| VAT filing | Partial | VAT groups for 16%; VAT3 report from partner. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| WHT | Supported | Withholding tax codes. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| PAYE | Via third party | Payroll add-on or separate Kenyan payroll. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Local COA | Supported | Configurable. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Multi-currency | Supported | Standard. | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Bank feeds | Partial | File-based. | 28 Oct 2026 |
Best for
- Distributors with landed costs and batches
- Regional groups across East Africa
- SAP-aligned subsidiaries
Not suitable for
- Small service firms
- Buyers wanting self-serve SaaS
Local support
Partners include Bluekey/Seidor (Kenya branch), Soft Consult and ACEteK, among others serving East Africa and SADC.
Migration notes
Item master cleanup and stock count drive the timeline. Run eTIMS in test mode before cutover.
Who sells SAP Business One in Kenya?
Several established partners: Seidor (formerly Bluekey) with a Kenyan branch, Soft Consult, and ACEteK, which serves East Africa and SADC from Nairobi. Ask each for two Kenyan references in your industry.
How does it handle multi-country East African groups?
Each country is typically a separate company database with its own localisation, consolidated through reporting or an add-on. Make sure the partner can support Uganda and Tanzania localisations if you need them.
What should the quote include?
User licences by type, hosting, eTIMS add-on, VAT reports, payroll integration, training and first-year support — in shillings with the exchange-rate basis stated.
Sources
- SAP Business One 28 Oct 2026
- ERP Research — ACEteK, SAP Business One partner for East Africa 28 Oct 2026
Keep reading
- Business Central in Kenya
Microsoft alternative.
- Odoo in Kenya
Open-source route.
Related in Kenya
- How to choose accounting software in Kenya
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.