Kenya
Koha Support and Library Automation in Kenya
Koha installed, upgraded, hosted and supported online for universities, colleges, TVET institutes and schools across Kenya: English and Kiswahili side by side, fines in shillings with the M-Pesa code recorded, and a catalogue that works on a slow campus connection.
What we hear
The problems libraries here bring us
“Our Koha is several versions behind, and the ICT department will not touch the upgrade.”
“Students pay fines by M-Pesa, and matching the payments to their accounts is done on paper.”
“Campus internet is slow, and the catalogue takes forever to load in the evening.”
“We need to know where our data is kept before the university will sign.”
How we set it up
Configured for where your library is
Whether we install a new Koha, migrate you onto one, host it, or support the Koha you already run.
English and Kiswahili, side by side
Koha has a Kiswahili translation for staff and patron screens next to English, so each reader chooses. Kiswahili titles are catalogued and searched as readers type them, and the Africa/Nairobi time zone keeps due dates and overnight notices right.
Upgraded, or moved to Koha Cloud
We take a full backup, upgrade a copy, check it with your staff and only then upgrade the live system. Or move to Koha Cloud, where upgrades, patches and tested backups are ours and the catalogue is light enough for a slow connection.
Shillings, M-Pesa and your data, answered
Fines and fees are in shillings, and a payment by M-Pesa is recorded with its transaction code, so the cash book matches. Kenya’s data protection rules keep some public-sector processing in the country, so tell us yours first: we say plainly whether hosted Koha fits, or support Koha on a server in Kenya you choose.
Across the country
Set up the way Kenyan libraries work
| What | How we set it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Time zone | Africa/Nairobi (UTC+3) | One zone for the whole country, with no clock change |
| Currency | Kenyan shilling (KES) | Fines, fees and purchases in shillings |
| Languages | English and Kiswahili screens | Staff and readers choose their language |
| Fine payments | M-Pesa, cash or bank, with the transaction code recorded | Payments match the accounts without a paper list |
| Internet | Light pages, works on mobile data | The catalogue loads on a slow campus connection |
| Where you start | An older Koha, another system, Excel or a register | Brought in and checked before you switch |
| Records | MARC21, with Z39.50 copy cataloguing | Download records for most books instead of typing them |
| Reports | Circulation, daily use, collection, new acquisitions | Evidence for an accreditation visit, downloaded in minutes |
| Data location | Answered before you sign | Hosted Koha, or Koha on a server in Kenya |
| How we work | Online, in Kenyan working hours | Setup, training and support by video, from Mombasa to Kisumu |
Public and private universities, colleges, TVET institutes, schools and special libraries. Everything is delivered online.
Included
What we look after
English and Kiswahili
Both interfaces for staff and readers, with Kiswahili records searchable.
Upgrades done for you
Backed up, upgraded on a copy first, then live.
M-Pesa recorded
Fines in shillings, with each M-Pesa code recorded against the payment.
Works on slow internet
Light pages that load on mobile data and busy campus networks.
Reports for accreditation
Circulation, use and collection reports, ready for the visit.
Your staff trained
Live online sessions for every role in the library.
More in Koha Cloud, not in standard Koha
Tamper-evident records
Every book’s movements and every fine, payment and waiver in an append-only history. Any change is detected and flagged.
Audit-ready recordsGate register and footfall
Members and walk-ins check in and out; time spent, peak hours and daily trends are reported.
Visitor managementMembership plans
As many paid plans as you sell, with freezes, grace days, study-only passes and renewals.
Membership plansPartner-library loans
Lend to and borrow collections from libraries outside the system, with agreements, deposits and due dates tracked.
How partner loans are trackedAI built into Koha Cloud
Advanced library automation, with an AI assistant for your staff and readers
Koha Cloud is more than hosting. On any plan, your library can add an AI assistant inside the librarian panel that catalogues, audits and reports alongside your staff. Write to it in English or Kiswahili, and it answers in the same language. It proposes; a librarian approves every change.
Copy cataloguing from every source
Give it an ISBN or a title. It searches your own Z39.50 and SRU servers in the order you rank them, then Google Books and Open Library, and brings back the 10 best matches, each labelled with its source. You pick one; the record is drafted for you to confirm.
DDC numbers and author marks
Suggests a Dewey number and a Cutter-style author mark worked out from cataloguing rules and your library’s own convention, for one book or every record missing one. A librarian approves each change.
Catalogue health score
40 checks rolled into one score out of 100: missing marks, invalid ISBNs, likely duplicates, records with no copies. It ranks the worst problems first, tracks the score over time, and fixes them in reviewed batches.
Stock audits and registers
Accession register, stocktake summary, missing items, item history, holdings as of any date and reconciliation, asked for in a sentence instead of built as a report.
Reports on request
Most-borrowed titles, dormant stock, overdues, fines, branch comparisons: 28 ready reports, asked as a question and saved for next time.
Patrons search in plain words
On your public catalogue a reader can type “books on climate change in Urdu published after 2015” or “Agatha Christie novels on the shelf right now”, and the AI turns it into a catalogue search with the right filters.
The same assistant also runs the circulation desk, acquisitions, patron registration, labels and your library's public website by chat, within each staff member's own permissions.
Koha Cloud pricing
Hosted Koha from $30 a month
Or $300 a year, saving $60. Up to 5,000 titles and 10,000 copies, 5 staff and 1,000 patrons, with hosting, a subdomain, data migration, the public catalog, cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, administration and training. The same price in every country; larger libraries get a tailored quote.
Not ready to change your library system? Put just your catalogue online from $10 a month, from your spreadsheet, SLiMS export or register.
Already running Koha?
We support and fix the Koha you have, on your own server, and train your team in live sessions.
Koha supportMoving to Koha?
From another library system or a spreadsheet, validated and reconciled before go-live.
Koha data migrationYour team needs training?
Private live sessions for your staff on your own Koha, in your working hours.
Koha staff trainingFAQ
What libraries in the country ask us
Does Koha work in Kiswahili?
Yes. Koha has a Kiswahili translation for staff and patron screens next to English, and Kiswahili titles are catalogued and searched as readers type them. Translation completeness varies by screen, so we check the ones your staff use before go-live.
Can students pay fines by M-Pesa?
Yes. A payment is recorded against the student’s account as M-Pesa with its transaction code, so the library’s cash book matches the statement. Koha does not take the payment itself; the student pays as they do today.
Where is our data stored?
Ask us before you sign and we tell you exactly where Koha Cloud keeps your data and its backups. If your institution must process its data in Kenya, we install and support Koha on a server in Kenya that you choose instead.
Our Koha is several versions behind. Can you upgrade it?
Yes. We take a full backup, upgrade a copy, check it with your staff and only then upgrade the live system. Or move to Koha Cloud, where upgrades and patches are ours.
How is it priced?
Koha Cloud's Basic plan has a published price in US dollars, the same in every country, with the first three months free and staff training included. Installation on your own server, data migration and support are quoted.
Related reading
Background reading
Koha backup and restore
A backup that actually restores, and how to prove yours does.
Read the guideKoha for universities
Does Koha scale to an academic library with several branches?
Read the guideKoha data migration
Moving your records out of an old system or a spreadsheet.
Read the guideOther regions
By type of library
Our services
Get a quote
Talk to us about your library
Tell us where you are and what you run today. We reply in your working hours.