How Much Does a School Management System Cost in Kenya?
14 July 2026 · 7 min read · Mackdish Solutions
Quotes range from KSh 60,000 to over KSh 1 million. Here is what actually moves the number, and the four questions to ask any vendor before you pay a deposit.
The short answer
For a Kenyan private school of 300–800 learners, expect KSh 120,000 to KSh 400,000 for a system covering student records, fees, exams and parent communication. Below KSh 60,000 you are usually buying a shared template with no data migration and no training.
Annual costs continue after year one: hosting, SMS credit and support typically add KSh 3,000 to KSh 15,000 per month depending on your student numbers.
What actually drives the price
Student population and number of campuses, because both affect hosting and support load. Whether you need M-Pesa paybill reconciliation, which requires Daraja setup and testing against your real till. How much historical data must be migrated from Excel or an older system — this is often the single biggest hidden cost.
SMS is charged per message. A school of 500 learners sending fee reminders twice a term spends roughly KSh 4,000–8,000 a year on SMS alone.
Four questions to ask before you pay
Who owns the data, and can we export it in full at any time? What exactly does support cover after handover, and during which hours? Is training on-site and how many sessions? What happens to our records if we stop paying?
Any vendor who cannot answer those four in writing is a risk, regardless of price.