A payment gateway in Kenya for your first service business

Choose a gateway around the customer you want to serve

A designer selling a brand package to an overseas client has a different payment problem from a shop collecting local purchases. Start with the customer journey: where is your customer, how do they expect to pay, and will you deliver a defined project or an ongoing service?

The Central Bank of Kenya describes both payment cards and mobile money within Kenya's retail payment system. Those are distinct payment methods. A customer comfortable with a Kenyan mobile payment service and an international client expecting a card checkout may need different arrangements.

Gammal Tech's use here is international card collection for your service. Its published documentation does not establish an M-Pesa integration or a mobile-wallet withdrawal route. Choose it for the individual account, guest card payment link and verified-owner payout model described below.

Start with your own verified identity

Current registration documents: Use the National ID of a country whose citizenship you hold, not a residence-only ID. An Egyptian passport is accepted only for an Egyptian living abroad without their Egyptian National ID available. An Egyptian birth certificate is accepted only for an Egyptian living in Egypt, under 15, who has neither a National ID nor a passport. Check the official registration requirements before applying.

You do not need to present company or commercial registration to open an individual Gammal Tech account. You verify your identity using the National ID of a country whose citizenship you hold. One person has one account, and that verified person remains the owner of the earnings.

This is particularly useful when your first product is your own work: development, writing, design, translation, consulting or another permitted service. Your portfolio can explain the work while the payment link gives a client an immediate next step.

Company-free provider onboarding does not replace Kenyan obligations. KRA explains that a sole proprietorship uses the proprietor's individual PIN. Check which registration, invoicing and reporting requirements apply to your activity. Gammal Tech handles the VAT and tax obligations assigned to it under its service arrangements; your own personal income tax and local obligations remain separate.

Which payment arrangement fits your next sale?

Evaluate the whole journey from client checkout to money received. A familiar payment button alone does not answer who can own the account, which bank can receive withdrawals or how you will reconcile completed work.

Turn one skill into a clearly priced offer

Illustrative example: A Nairobi designer offers a launch package to an independent consultant abroad: a logo refinement, a presentation template and two rounds of revisions. The client approves the scope, pays the agreed first stage through a card link, and receives the scheduled design work after the designer checks the payment record.

The useful part is the defined purchase. List what the client supplies, what you deliver, the revision limit and the delivery date. If you divide the job into stages, explain which stage each payment covers. Do not make a vague payment request and negotiate the scope afterwards.

Keep the service name consistent across your proposal, payment description and delivery email. This gives both parties a recognisable trail when a question comes up later.

Prepare your account and first payment link

1. Create your account: sign up with Gammal Tech and complete National ID verification.
2. Confirm the payout route: obtain your bank's international receiving instructions and check the account name and receiving currency with support.
3. Create a project: open the developer dashboard, name the project and find its public project ID.
4. Set the payment return page: configure an HTTPS Payment Callback URL and enable payments. Payments remain disabled until the callback is set.
5. Create the link: use the payment link generator with the correct project, price and supported currency.
6. Share and reconcile: send the link alongside the agreed scope, then check your dashboard payment record before starting paid work.

You do not need a full online store to share a guest card link. You still need the project setup and HTTPS return page. Sharing the link itself requires no SDK, secret key or domain whitelisting. The guest card customer does not need a Gammal Tech account.

Plan the money you will actually receive

Price the service in a documented supported currency, such as USD, EUR or GBP, after agreeing it with your client. Do not assume that a Kenyan-shilling checkout or same-currency bank settlement is available simply because your business operates in Kenya.

Your bank account must carry the same name as your verified identity. A friend's account, a relative's account or a developer's account is not a substitute. If you later use an eligible bank account in another supported country, it must still belong to that same verified person.

Review the current fees, withdrawal conditions and refund rules before quoting. Merchant and customer charges matter, and transfer fees are deducted from the withdrawal. Build your working budget around the amount received after applicable deductions, not just the price displayed in your proposal.

Make your first payment the beginning of a reliable service

Check the recorded transaction rather than accepting a screenshot as proof. Match the amount, currency and order before delivering. Keep the approved brief, payment reference, delivery record and any refund correspondence together.

For a small client list, a simple order register can be enough: service, client reference, agreed price, payment reference and delivery status. If you later automate access to downloads or a service, use trusted payment validation and prevent a repeated notification from delivering the same order twice.

Once the first offer works, improve the part clients ask about most. That might be a clearer package, a better sample or a smoother booking process. Start with a service you can confidently deliver and a payment process you understand.

Common questions

Sources and current service details

Service features follow Gammal Tech’s current documentation and individual-account policy. Local sources explain the specific banking or regulatory context cited above; they do not certify a Gammal Tech integration or guarantee account approval.

• Gammal Tech integration, payments and withdrawal guide: Platform account, guest card and payout rules; current fee source.
• Central Bank of Kenya: National Payments System: Local distinction between payment cards and mobile money.
• Kenya Revenue Authority: About PIN: Individual PIN use for a sole proprietorship.