One Chama Is Worth KSh 3,600 to You. Here Is the Catch.

Chamabora pays partners 30% of what each group they bring in pays, for that group's first six months. On the Growth plan, which is where most active chamas land, that is KSh 600 a month — KSh 3,600 from one group. Bring in five and it is KSh 18,000. There is no cap on how many groups you bring.

Now the catch, because it is a real one. Every chama is free until 30 April 2027. Nothing is owed on a group until it starts paying after that date, so a group you sign up this month is recorded against you and pays out later, not now. If you were hoping for commission in December, this is not that.

What each group is worth, by the plan it lands on

The commission is a share of the subscription, so it tracks the group's size:

• Lite (up to 20 members) — KSh 300 a month, KSh 1,800 over six months
• Growth (up to 100 members) — KSh 600 a month, KSh 3,600 over six months
• Business (up to 1,000 members) — KSh 900 a month, KSh 5,400 over six months
• SACCO (unlimited members) — KSh 2,400 a month, KSh 14,400 over six months

Payment is monthly, by M-Pesa, once your balance passes KSh 500. Anything under that carries over to the next month rather than disappearing. You can see what you have earned and what has been paid at any time.

What actually counts as a group you brought in

A sign-up on its own does not count. The group has to join through your link and then genuinely get going: at least five members on the roster, and one contribution recorded and confirmed. That bar exists because an empty group is worth nothing to anybody, and it is the honest version of a referral — you are paid for a chama that is running, not a form someone filled in.

Applications are checked by hand, so expect to say who you are and which groups you work with.

Who this is actually for

You do not need your own chama. It is aimed at people who already sit near savings groups: trainers, bookkeepers, accountants, church officials, SACCO staff. If you do run a chama yourself, your group earns free months rather than paying you a personal commission — which is the right way round.

If bookkeeping for groups is the work you want rather than the referral, that is a service people pay for. Plenty of bookkeepers and accountants list on Kaziiko, and the Accounting & Finance course in Kaziiko Academy covers the Kenyan side of it for KSh 999.

Why this is not the thing you are worried it is

Kenyan savings groups have lost serious money to schemes built on recruiting people, so the suspicion is earned. The rules below are built into how the programme works rather than printed in a brochure:

• You earn from groups you bring in. Never from groups they go on to bring in. There is no second level, no team, nothing to recruit anyone into.
• There is nothing to buy, nothing to pay in, and no stock to hold.
• You are paid out of what a group pays Chamabora — never out of any group's savings.
• You never hold or handle a chama's money, and you agree to that when you apply.
• Chamabora is record-keeping software. It is not an investment and it returns nothing.
• You tell groups you are paid if they join through you.

That last one is the test of the whole thing. A referral you have to hide is not worth the KSh 3,600.

The details and the application form are on the Chamabora partners page. If you would rather start by seeing what the groups themselves get, the feature list is the place to look.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does one referred chama pay me?

30% of that group's subscription for its first six months. On the Growth plan that is KSh 600 a month, so KSh 3,600 in total. Larger groups pay more and smaller ones less.

When does the money actually start?

Once the group begins paying. Every chama is free until 30 April 2027, so groups you bring in before then are recorded against you and pay out when their subscription starts.

Do I need to run a chama myself?

No. It is open to anyone who works with savings groups. If you do run one, your own group earns free months instead of paying you a commission.

Do I earn from groups my referrals bring in?

No, and that is deliberate. There is one level only. It is a commission on groups you bring in, not a network to build.

Where do I apply?

On the Chamabora partners page. Every application is reviewed by hand. For other ways Kenyans earn from digital and government services, see the experts already working on Kaziiko.