Catering software for Kenyan caterers: conference packages, weddings and eTIMS invoices
Kenyan caterers often run two businesses under one name. On weekdays they serve conference delegates tea at ten, lunch at one and tea again at four, billed per delegate to companies that pay against an LPO. On weekends they feed garden weddings of 300, paid in M-Pesa instalments by the couple and their committee. Catering software keeps both kinds of order, every payment and every kitchen sheet in one place. This page covers what a Kenyan caterer needs from it, how licensing, VAT and eTIMS fit in, what to test in a demo, and where Venura fits.
Checked against Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) guidance · last reviewed 2026-10-02
Available in Kenya
Run your catering business in Kenya on Venura
- Booking calendar that warns before a double booking
- Quotes, invoices and receipts in KES with VAT
- Deposits, balances and due-date reminders
- Share PDFs on WhatsApp or email from your phone
No setup fee · Cancel anytime · Web, Android and iPhone · Plans for Kenya priced on request
What a Kenyan catering week looks like
Monday to Friday is conferences and corporate events: two tea breaks and a buffet lunch per delegate, bottled water on the tables, and numbers that change the evening before. Saturday is weddings and parties: pilau, chapati, nyama choma, a salad bar and a cake table for a few hundred guests at a garden venue.
Both run on headcount. A conference booked for 60 delegates that arrives with 74 should be invoiced for 74, and that only happens if the change is recorded on the order the moment the client calls.
Outside catering adds logistics. You need to know which venue, which tent or kitchen space you have, what time you can enter, and what equipment you are bringing and taking back.
Sending the quotation the same day
Procurement officers usually request three quotations for a conference, and couples ask several caterers at once. The caterer whose quotation arrives first, complete and easy to compare, starts with an advantage.
Save your full-day, half-day and wedding packages with current prices and VAT. A new request then needs only the date, the venue and the numbers, and the quotation can go out by email or WhatsApp within minutes of the call.
Sample catering order: Nairobi full-day conference
Full-day workshop for 60 delegates at a conference venue in Westlands, Nairobi, catered by an outside caterer. Prices are illustrative.
| Item | Qty | Rate | Tax | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning and afternoon tea breaks | 60 delegate | Ksh 450.00 | VAT 16% | Ksh 27,000.00 |
| Buffet lunch | 60 delegate | Ksh 1,200.00 | VAT 16% | Ksh 72,000.00 |
| Bottled water and sodas | 60 delegate | Ksh 250.00 | VAT 16% | Ksh 15,000.00 |
| Service staff, full day | 4 person | Ksh 2,500.00 | VAT 16% | Ksh 10,000.00 |
| Delivery, set-up and collection | 1 event | Ksh 3,500.00 | VAT 16% | Ksh 3,500.00 |
- Subtotal
- Ksh 127,500.00
- VAT 16% on Ksh 127,500.00
- Ksh 20,400.00
- Total
- Ksh 147,900.00
- Illustrative prices in Kenya shillings for a VAT-registered caterer.
- Corporate client paying against an LPO on 30-day terms, so no deposit.
- The eTIMS invoice is issued through KRA's system before payment.
What to test in a demo before choosing catering software in Kenya
| Test | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Change a conference from 60 to 74 delegates the night before | Every per-delegate line, the VAT, the kitchen sheet and the invoice should change from one edit. |
| Add an LPO number and invoice on 30-day terms | Corporate and government clients pay against an LPO and will reject an invoice without it. |
| Record wedding payments by M-Pesa with transaction codes | Couples and committees pay in instalments from different phones. Each must land on the right order. |
| Print the kitchen sheet with tea break times and equipment list | Cooks and drivers work from this sheet. It must reflect the latest order. |
| Store a staff member's medical certificate expiry date | Food handlers need valid certificates, and county officers can ask to see them.[5] |
| Export the month's invoices and payments | VAT returns and eTIMS reconciliation start from these records.[2] |
Pricing per delegate and per guest
Conference catering is usually sold as a package per delegate: a full day with two teas and lunch, or a half day with one tea and lunch. Write the package as one line per delegate and list the extras separately, such as sodas, a working dinner or a projector if the venue is yours.
Wedding catering is usually priced per guest, with stations or extra courses as add-ons. Agree a minimum number and a deadline for the final count, and say how extra guests on the day will be charged.
Keep a record of what each package actually cost you. When flour, cooking oil or meat prices move, you will want to know which packages to re-price first.
| Package | Usually includes | Priced |
|---|---|---|
| Full-day conference | Morning tea, buffet lunch, afternoon tea, water | Per delegate |
| Half-day conference | One tea break and lunch, water | Per delegate |
| Wedding buffet | Mains, starches, salads, dessert | Per guest, minimum number |
| Live station | Nyama choma, chapati or pasta station | Per guest or per station |
Medical certificates, permits and the eTIMS invoice
The Ministry of Health's food hygiene licensing checklist expects food handlers to be medically examined, to hold valid certificates and to be trained in basic food hygiene. County governments add their own permits, such as Nairobi's Unified Business Permit. Our guide to food handler certificates in Kenya covers the process.
VAT is 16 percent once taxable supplies reach KES 5 million a year. Every business must issue electronic tax invoices through KRA's eTIMS, and a corporate client can only claim an expense backed by one, so your invoice must exist in eTIMS before the client's finance team will pay.
Regulated restaurants and hotels also pay the 2 percent tourism levy to the Tourism Fund. Whether an outside caterer is a regulated enterprise depends on its classification. The catering levy guide explains how to check.
The kitchen sheet and the delivery run
A good kitchen sheet shows the menu, quantities per dish, tea break times, the venue address, the contact on site, and the vehicles and staff going. It should come from the order, so a change at nine at night appears on the sheet the cooks read at six in the morning.
List the equipment leaving the store: chafing dishes, urns, crockery, linen and tents if you own them. Tick it back when it returns. Missing urns and serving spoons cost Kenyan caterers more over a year than most expect.
Confirmed orders for the next fourteen days with their headcounts. Unpaid corporate invoices older than thirty days. Wedding balances due before the event date. Staff medical certificates expiring this month.
If those four are visible in one place, the owner can spend the week cooking and selling rather than chasing paper.
Fuel and transport belong on the sheet as well. Note which vehicle goes, who drives and how many trips a large wedding needs, so the cost of delivery is visible when you price the next order.
Where Venura fits for a Kenyan caterer
Venura's catering app keeps orders, menus and kitchen sheets together with quotations, invoices, receipts and deposits, with the VAT rate you set on each line. Staff roles let your kitchen lead see quantities without seeing prices. Documents go out by email or WhatsApp. It runs on the web, Android and iOS, and Kenyan plans are priced on request after a free 30-day trial.
Venura does not connect to eTIMS, M-Pesa or the Tourism Fund. It records M-Pesa transaction codes and LPO numbers against each order, so issuing the eTIMS invoice and reconciling payments is quick.
It suits caterers who run events and conference packages. A restaurant with a busy dining floor will want a point-of-sale system first.
Garden weddings, committees and payment statements
Wedding catering in Kenya is often paid through a committee. Friends and relatives pledge, meet weekly and pay towards the caterer and the venue over several weeks, by M-Pesa and bank transfer.
The couple will ask you how much has been paid and how much is left, usually just before a committee meeting. If every M-Pesa payment is recorded with its transaction code against the order, a statement takes a minute.
Agree the final guest count and the deadline for it in writing. Garden weddings often draw more guests than were invited. State the price per extra guest on the quotation, and record the actual number served on the day so the final invoice matches what you cooked.
On the day, your sheet should show the venue, the tent or kitchen space allocated to you, the serving time, the number of tables, the cake table arrangement and the contact person from the family. Outdoor service in the rainy season needs a covered serving area, so confirm it with the venue in advance.
Try Venura on your next order
Bookings, quotes, invoices and payments for your catering business in Kenya, in KES with VAT. Web, Android and iPhone. Free for 30 days.
Catering software questions from Kenya
What is catering software?
It is software that runs a catering business: enquiries, quotations, menus, headcounts, kitchen sheets, staff, invoices and payments. For a Kenyan caterer that also means per-delegate conference packages, LPO numbers on invoices and M-Pesa payments recorded against each order.
Do caterers in Kenya need to use eTIMS?
Yes. KRA requires every person in business, whether registered for VAT or not, to issue electronic tax invoices through eTIMS. Buyers can only claim expenses backed by an eTIMS invoice, which is why corporate clients ask for one before paying. KRA offers several ways to issue them.
Does Venura issue eTIMS invoices?
No. Venura does not connect to eTIMS, M-Pesa or the Tourism Fund. It keeps your orders, quotations, invoices and payment records with M-Pesa codes and LPO numbers, so issuing the eTIMS invoice through one of KRA's routes and reconciling payments takes little time.
What VAT do caterers charge in Kenya?
VAT is 16 percent on catering, staff and equipment hire supplied by a registered business. Registration is required once taxable supplies reach KES 5 million a year. Many smaller caterers register voluntarily because their corporate clients want to claim input VAT.
What health documents do Kenyan food handlers need?
The Ministry of Health's licensing checklist expects food handlers to be medically examined, hold valid certificates and be trained in basic food hygiene. Counties add their own permits, such as Nairobi's Unified Business Permit. Keep each certificate's expiry date where you can find it.
Can Venura price conference packages per delegate?
Yes. Each line has its own unit, so a full-day package, lunch only, sodas and staff can sit on one order and total correctly. When the delegate count changes, the per-delegate lines, the tax and the kitchen sheet all change from the same edit.
More templates for Kenya
Sources
- KRA: Value Added Tax (VAT) (checked 2026-10-02)
- KRA: What is eTIMS (checked 2026-10-02)
- Tourism Fund: 2% tourism levy (checked 2026-10-02)
- Kenya Law: The Tourism Fund Regulations, Legal Notice 199 of 2015 (checked 2026-10-02)
- Ministry of Health, Kenya: Public health checklist for food hygiene licensing (April 2023) (checked 2026-10-02)
- Nairobi City County: Unified Business Permit (UBP) usage (checked 2026-10-02)
This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with your accountant or the authority linked above.
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