Pharmacy POS system in Kenya: the complete guide

This guide covers everything a chemist or pharmacy owner in Kenya needs to know about a pharmacy POS system: what it is, what it must do, how to set it up and how to use it to protect your profit.

What is a pharmacy POS system?

A point-of-sale (POS) system records every sale at your counter. A pharmacy POS adds what medicines need: batch numbers, expiry dates, prescription-only flags and generic names. Together with stock, purchases, customers and reports, it becomes the system you run the whole chemist on.

The core features

Selling at the counter

• Search by brand or generic name, or scan the barcode.
• Prescription-only (POM) items flagged before they are sold.
• Payments by M-Pesa (with the transaction code), cash, card or a mix on one sale.
• Credit for regular customers, with a limit and a statement.
• Receipts with your KRA PIN and VAT worked out for you.

Stock and expiry

• Batch number and expiry date recorded on every delivery.
• The earliest-expiring batch sold first; expired batches can't be sold.
• An expiry list for the next 30, 60, 90 or 180 days, with cost value.
• Stock takes that show the gap between the system and the shelf.
• Reorder suggestions from what actually sells.

Buying

• Purchases from suppliers, with cost updates on every delivery.
• What you owe each supplier and when you paid.

Money and reports

• Sales, gross profit and expenses every day.
• What customers owe you and what you owe suppliers.
• Daily VAT totals for your tax return.

How to set up a pharmacy POS (step by step)

1. Sign up and choose Pharmacy as your type of business. Batches and expiry are switched on for you.
2. Add your categories: for example pain relief, antibiotics, allergy, rehydration and supplies.
3. Add your products with price, cost and generic name. Tick prescription only where it applies.
4. Enter opening stock with the batch number and expiry date of what is on the shelf now.
5. Add your suppliers and record the next delivery as a purchase.
6. Add your cashier with their own login, so every sale shows who made it.
7. Open the till and start selling.

Getting the most out of it

• Check the expiry list every week.
• Do a stock take every month, or every week for fast movers.
• Review the reorder list before you call your supplier.
• Look at gross profit, not only sales, to see which products pay.

How to choose

Ask for a demo with your own products. Check that batches and expiry are built in, that M-Pesa and credit work on one sale, that you can use your own phone and that you can see your numbers away from the counter.

Afritelligence is a pharmacy POS system in Kenya built for Kenyan chemists. see the prices, or read about batches and expiry tracking.

Pharmacy POS versus a general shop POS

Common questions

How long does it take to set up?

A small chemist can be selling the same afternoon; adding every slow-moving product can take a few days.

Can I import my products from Excel?

Yes. Products can be imported from a spreadsheet with name, price, cost and stock.

Does it handle VAT on medicines?

Yes. Each product has its own tax type, so exempt, zero-rated and standard-rated items are worked out correctly, and the tax report gives daily totals.

Can I sell to clinics on credit?

Yes. Add the clinic as a customer with a credit limit; sales go on their account with a statement and reminders.

Can staff only see their own sales?

Yes. Cashiers see their own work; the owner sees everything.