Start with a one-page brief
A company can only be judged against something. Before you contact anyone, write down what you need, in plain sentences. You do not need technical words.
- The problem: what is slow, wrong or impossible today, and who feels it.
- The people: who will use it, and what each kind of user does.
- The connections: the systems, payments and records it must work with, such as M-Pesa, your accounts or an existing database.
- What must never go wrong: money, personal data, double bookings, lost records.
- What done looks like: how you will know it works, in terms your staff would recognise.
What to check, and what a good answer sounds like
Ask every company the same questions. The answers matter less than how clearly they are given.
| Question | Why it matters | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| Can I see working software like mine? | Slides are easy to make. Software that real people use is not. | A demonstration, or a call with someone who uses something similar. |
| Who exactly will build it? | A quote is signed by one person and the work is done by others. | Names, roles and experience, and a chance to meet them. |
| How will I see progress? | A report can say anything. Working software cannot. | A version you can click through every couple of weeks. |
| Who owns the code and the accounts? | You may need to change company one day. | You do, and the contract says so. |
| What happens after launch? | Software needs looking after for as long as it is used. | A named support arrangement, with hours and response times. |
| How do you handle changes? | The scope will change. The question is how. | A clear way to price and agree a change before work on it begins. |
| How do you protect our data? | Customer records and money are your responsibility, whoever holds them. | Who can see what, where it is hosted, how it is backed up and who is responsible under the law. |
Local or remote: Nakuru, Nairobi and beyond
Being in the same town helps. It does not replace the questions above.
- Nearby helps with workshops, visits to your premises, quick calls and a shared understanding of how business is done here, from M-Pesa to tax invoices.
- Ask where the work happens. A company with an office in Nakuru or Nairobi may still have the work done somewhere else. Ask where the people who will build yours sit, and whether you can visit.
- Remote developers can work well when communication is good. Check how many working hours overlap with yours, and who is available when something breaks.
- Ask for similar work in Kenya. Payments, tax and data protection are specific to where you operate.
What a good first month looks like
You can tell a lot about a company from how it begins.
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Listen
Workshops with the people who will use the system, not only the one who signs. Questions about how the work is done today.
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Write it down
A short brief in plain language that you read and agree. It says what will be built first and what will wait.
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Show a plan
Phases, with a price for the first release and an honest range for the rest, and what each phase leaves you able to do.
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Show the first screens
Pages you can click through, before anything is built behind them.
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Deliver a first working piece
Something small that real people use, so that you learn from it.
Terms to ask for in the contract
A contract does not have to be long. This checklist is what it should be clear on.
- Ownership: your company owns the source code, the data and the accounts it runs in, and the passwords are in its name.
- Payment: tied to work delivered and accepted, not only to dates.
- Changes: how a change is described, priced and agreed before it is made.
- Fixes: a period after launch in which faults are put right at no extra charge, and what counts as a fault.
- Handover: documentation, and help for the next team if you choose one.
- Data: who is responsible for personal data. The Data Protection Act, 2019 uses the words data controller and data processor, and the contract should say which is which.
- Ending it: what you receive if either side stops, and when.
Read it with someone you trust
A short review of the contract by a lawyer or a trusted colleague costs little next to a dispute over who owns the system.
Red flags
When you are hiring software developers, any one of these is a reason to ask more questions.
- Pressure to sign quickly, or a discount that ends today.
- A price with no breakdown, or a scope that is not written down.
- "We can build anything", with no example of something similar.
- No names for the people who will do the work.
- Reluctance to say who will own the code.
- Nothing to see until the end.
- References that cannot be contacted.
Be wary of promises about results
A company cannot promise that your business will grow, or that a site will rank first. It can promise what it will build, by when, and how you will see it.
Keep reading
- Custom software: Web, mobile and back-office systems built around your process.
- How much does custom software or an app cost in Kenya?: What decides the price of custom software and apps in Kenya, three ways projects are priced, and how to get quotes you can compare. No made-up figures.
- Custom software or off-the-shelf: how to decide: Should you build custom software or buy a ready-made product? How to decide, the signs that each has stopped working, and how to cut the risk of building.
- Talk to us about your project
Common questions
How do I choose a software development company in Kenya?
Write a one-page brief, ask every company the same questions, and judge them on working software they can show, the people who will build yours, how you will see progress, who owns the code and what happens after launch.
Which is the best software company in Kenya?
No list or ranking can tell you. The best company for you is the one that has built something like your system, shows it working, answers your questions in writing and lets you keep your code and data. Use lists to find names, then give three companies the same brief and compare.
Should I choose a software company near me?
Being near helps with workshops, visits and quick calls, and with local knowledge such as M-Pesa and tax invoices. It is not enough on its own: ask where the people who will build your system actually work, and for similar work in Kenya.
What should a software development contract include?
Who owns the code, data and accounts, how payment is tied to delivered work, how changes are priced, a fixing period after launch, handover and documentation, who is responsible for personal data, and what happens if either side stops.
How can I check a software company's work?
Ask for a demonstration of working software like yours and a call with someone who uses something similar. Ask who built it, and whether those people will build yours.
What is a good first step with a software company?
A short discovery step: workshops with the people who will use the system, a written brief you agree, a plan in phases and a first set of screens you can click through.
Can a software company in Nakuru work for businesses elsewhere in Kenya?
Yes. Much of the work runs through video calls and regular demonstrations of working software, with visits when they are needed.
Looking for a software company?
We are based in Nakuru, with a branch in Nairobi. Tell us what you need and we will say what we would do first, and what we would ask you.