A procurement framework for comparing Kenyan software development companies by problem understanding, delivery evidence, security, ownership, support and realistic implementation planning.

Evaluate discovery before code

A strong supplier should be able to restate the business problem, identify unknowns and explain trade-offs before proposing a large build. Ask what assumptions their estimate depends on, which requirements need discovery, and what they would deliberately leave out of the first release.

Compare like with like. One proposal may include UX, project management, hosting, integrations, migration, training and support while another prices only development. Normalize scope before using the total price as a ranking signal.

Evidence checklist

  • Ask for relevant delivered work and what the company itself implemented.
  • Meet the people who will actually manage and build the project, not only the salesperson.
  • Review the proposed architecture, environments, source-control process and deployment responsibility.
  • Clarify ownership of source code, cloud accounts, domains, app-store accounts and third-party credentials.
  • Define acceptance criteria and a change-request process before development starts.
  • Require backup, monitoring, security and support responsibilities to be explicit.

For integrations such as M-PESA or eTIMS, ask for evidence that the team understands the current official integration path. Integration experience should be specific to the dependency, not a generic claim that the company can build APIs.

Contract for continuity

The contract should explain handover, documentation, warranty or defect handling, post-launch support and what happens if either party ends the relationship. Avoid arrangements where production can be operated only from an individual developer's personal account.

Use TrustRiva provider profiles and company-specific review evidence as additional inputs, not substitutes for technical due diligence. A provider's catalogue presence or commercial relationship with TrustRiva must not determine a Riva Picks rank.

How TrustRiva can help

Use TrustRiva profiles to compare product fit, supported platforms, deployment model, integrations, support options, pricing evidence and published Riva Reviews. Use Riva Compare for side-by-side evaluation and Ask Riva when you need a shortlist based on your own requirements. A listing's presence in this guide does not change its Riva Score or Riva Picks position.

Sources & further reading

Regulatory and platform facts in this guide were checked against the following first-party sources on 12 September 2026.