Most programmes in Kenya start on WhatsApp and spreadsheets, and they should. The tools are free, everyone already has them and you can launch a cohort in a week. The trouble starts when the programme grows. Members live in five WhatsApp groups, partners live in a spreadsheet only one person understands, and someone rebuilds the funder report by hand every month.
I build what I call a programme system: one place for the people, partners and numbers a programme runs on. Since June 2026 I have shipped seven production systems for organisations that run on people. Here is how to tell when you need one and what it should do.
Signs you have outgrown your tools
- Two people give different answers to the same question about a participant.
- The monthly report takes a full day and still has mistakes.
- You cannot say how many people are at risk of dropping out this week.
- Partners and sponsors follow up with you, instead of the other way round.
- Donations or payments come in by M-Pesa, and matching them to people takes hours.
- When one team member is away, part of the programme stops.
If three or more of these sound familiar, a system will pay for itself in team hours within a few months.
What a programme system does
One record per person
Every participant, member, alumnus or donor has one record with their details, history and status. Everyone on the team looks at the same record.
A tracker for progress
Attendance, milestones and status for every cohort, updated after each session, with a clear list of who needs a call this week.
A partner pipeline
Sponsors, funders and partners in one pipeline with an owner, a stage and a next step. For Latitude59 I built and run the Partner Hub, the partner and sponsor CRM the partnerships team uses for the Tallinn and Kenya editions: one pipeline from first lead to renewal, proposals with share links and deliverables tracked by department.
Payments that match themselves
M-Pesa and card payments linked to the right person automatically. The Nawiri Sisters Foundation platform takes donations by M-Pesa and card, including monthly givers, and sells event tickets with QR codes and door check-in.
Reports that build themselves
Because the data lives in one place, the funder or partner report is a page you open, not a document you assemble.
Messages where people already are
Reminders and updates go out by SMS, email or WhatsApp, because that is where your members already are. People do not have to learn a new app to take part.
What it should not do
Keep the first version small. A system that tries to replace every tool on day one takes months and confuses the team. I start with the one process that hurts most, usually the tracker or the pipeline, ship it in weeks and add the rest once the team uses it every day.
How I build one
- Map the programme. I sit with the team and write down how people, partners and money move today.
- Pick the first leak. The process that costs the most time or trust.
- Build and launch it. A working system in the team's hands in weeks. Nawiri went live in five days.
- Run it with the team. I stay on to keep it running: backups, updates, a monthly allowance of changes and a one-page report, plus a runbook so nothing depends on one person's memory.
What it costs
A programme system is a custom build, so it is scoped per project after we map the programme together. For a sense of ranges, see how much a website costs in Kenya in 2026. The biggest saving is the team hours you get back every month.
Questions about programme systems
Will my team need training?
A short session and a one-page guide. I build around the way the team already works, so the system should feel familiar from day one.
Can participants and partners use it too?
Yes. Participants can have a simple portal or receive updates by SMS and email, and partners can get a share link to the numbers they care about, without an account.
What happens to our existing spreadsheets?
I import them. Your history comes with you, and the spreadsheet stops being the thing everyone has to keep in sync.
If your programme runs on WhatsApp groups and a spreadsheet that only one person understands, book 20 minutes with me. You can see the systems I have built first.
