Frequently Asked Questions

General


Popote is a payments disbursement tool that allows you to make & manage 100% of your payments digitally to mobiles, till numbers, pay bills, banks both local & international while maintaining management control & accurate accounting records.

The recommended process is to:

  • Bank all income whether received in Cash, Cheques, Mpesa etc
  • Periodically transfer a lump sum from your bank account into Popote
  • Make payments
  • Repeat the transfer from time to time when your balance is getting low

The recommended process puts you in better control of your finances because those responsible for requisitioning payments have visibility only of the amount availed & not the bank balance. Payments made are accounted for on the system so when topping up, one is already certain of exactly how the last funds were utilized. The accounting records on the system can be reviewed anytime or exported to any other accounting solution you may be using. If all income is banked & all expenses paid with Popote, it becomes very simple to derive an accurate P&L.

The pricing chart is available on the Homepage before log in. Click on the Pricing tab to view

Yes. if Mpesa is down the platform is likewise affected. However Mpesa has a very low rate of downtime.


Security


On login, you will click on forgot password, then a link & sms will be sent to the contact details linked with your account as a security measure. This is to make sure it’s the rightful account owner requesting for password change.

Kindly send a request from the email address linked to your Popote account to [email protected]. We will set it back to the default 1234 & you can set the preferred pin.

Share details of account that has been locked to [email protected] & your account will be unlocked. If you do not remember your password, click on forgot password to reset.

Records are kept confidential through the systems viewing rights. Director Admins, Directors, Approvers & Observers can see all payment records as they are assumed to be high enough within an organization to maintain the information as confidential. Creators & employee user types can only see records of payment they themselves created unless granted viewing rights by a director admin or system admin which requires their Password & secret PIN. Therefore if a creator is responsible for uploading payroll, other creators would not be able to see it prior to approval nor its records thereafter, unless their rights were changed.

We do not see client’s payment information except for the account name amount & recipient number. Further information with regards to confidentiality of data is available in our Terms of Service & Privacy policy.

Our systems & procedures have been tested & certified by a leading global management consultancy with a cyber security department. Client are further held by Safaricom inside their trust accounts at CBA & KCB.

Your records including payment details, notes attachments & all other management & accounting information belongs to you, the account holder/s. Popote stores all records including attachments on the Microsoft cloud & guarantees their availability for at least 7 years from the date of production. Records shall remain saved & accessible regardless of whether you are using Popote or a while label of it provided by your bank. Records shall also remain available on inactive accounts though if on dormant status would need to be reactivated by making a request to [email protected]

SIGN UP & KYC


Yes you can. At the point of signup, you can click on the option that states “I am not a director/shareholder of the company & will add them to the account later…..”. The text is in RED with a checkbox. This allows for you to handover the account to the Director later after signing up on behalf of the company.

Various types of accounts require different types of documentations. The general list of KYCs are MemAts/CR12, KRA PIN, Directors ID & Cert of Incorporation. You will be required to upload KYC which will be specified for your account type.

Yes. One can add linked accounts & provide separate KYC for each, however they will access the accounts using the same login credentials for convenience. Each account is a completely separate financial entity.


Funding


MPESA Deposits maximum 10 minutes, Cash deposits take 2-3 hours, Cheque deposits take up-to 3 days to clear & RTGS transfers take 2-3 hours if done before the days cutoff usually 2pm, otherwise it goes to the following day, EFT take up-to 24 hours.

When logged in, on app click on the 4 horizontal bars & then on Fund account. On web click on Fund Account in the top right corner. This will open instructions on how one can fund via the various available options

If you are at a computer, go to Statement & click on the Voucher number for the particular payment. This will give you the option to send a request to support. In the notes state that you want the payment reversed. Alternatively contact support team on 0709784444 or [email protected] with the details. Note that if the funds have NOT been utilized by payee we will reverse them back to your account in 2-5 mins. If they have been utilized there is not much we can do, however, there is a legal action you can undertake.

When a user funds Popote they deposit cash, cheque or transfer into the designated account at CBA, KCB. The Bank will ask the usual Anti Money Laundering questions for over amounts above 1M.

It is real time to Banks but Banks some times take longer to credit the particular account which we are not able to control.


Loans


With continued use of your account, you’re able to access loans as an Overdraft facility on your account. The loan value & interest rate that you qualify for is largely determined by how much you use the application.

Loan applications can only be done via the mobile app & only by the account owner or Director Admin.

You repay the loan by topping up your wallet with the amount before or on the day of the loans expiry. A penalty rate will thereafter apply to each day that the loan remains unpaid & it will negatively impact on your future ability to borrow.

When a user funds Popote they deposit cash, cheque or transfer into the designated account at CBA, KCB. The Bank will ask the usual Anti Money Laundering questions for over amounts above 1M.


Payments


  • Did you receive a message from Popote informing you that you will receive funds?
  • If yes, & you have not received the funds after 5 minuites, contact our support team on 0709784444 or [email protected] for assistance.
  • If no, kindly confirm from XYZ Ltd if the payment request was approved.

When a payment is made the payee will receive an SMS with the name of the payer, amount & method e.g to mobile number or bank account. They will then receive the usual message from mpesa or their bank confirming funds have been received, depending on the method used.

Are you using the web or app? If on web, Kindly use Google chrome as it more compatible with Popote. If on app, Kindly check & update your app on playstore. If the issue still persists, contact support team on 0709784444 or [email protected] for assistance.

Are you using the web or app? If on web, Kindly use Google chrome as it more compatible with Popote. If on app, Kindly check & update your app on playstore. If the issue still persists, contact support team on 0709784444 or [email protected] for assistance.

The amount was returned due to safaricom limits rule which is set at 100,000/-being the maximum amount any given number can hold on mpesa & a daily maximum transaction limit of 140,000/-. If daily transaction limit is not exceeded on the line, please ensure the payees line has enough space to accommodate the amount sent & then re-approve it.

Yes. On web go to Management -Update payments. On app go to Completed Payments. If you had selected one of tracking options e.g “Bring back receipt…”, you can later update the payment by going to the “Tracking tab” & select “Receipt”.

First, check if payee exists under Management – active payees & also deactivated payees. If the payee is deactivated you can re-activate them using the web but not the app.

If the method of payment to the payee is a Paybill, the account number field will automatically appear. You can then input it for payment

On either account there is a blue tab on the top right ”accounts”, this will redirect you to another page where you are able to select between linked accounts.

Go to the management tab, then you go to active payee & you will be able to edit payee details. However, you cannot change some details if the payees already received past payments. You are only able to deactivate old & add new details.

Some supermarket tills are not compatible with Popote due to the way they verify the source of transactions. We have blocked the majority of these such that you will be notified when attempting to make a payment. We are however working with them to implement a solution.

This can be rectified from the Settings page. Ensure you have enabled SMS alerts by the priority level of payments.

Many situations require you to issue a postdated cheque in order to access goods or services early. Popote allows you to do so digitally. Upon passing an approval you will now see an option to postdate, select it, & enter the future date, the payees email & your pin. A promissory note will be sent via email to the payee which they shall accept in the same way as a postdated cheque. On the due date your account will be automatically debited accordingly. Unlike cheques, Popote will remind you via SMS several times starting 2 days prior & up-to 1 hour prior to the debit date & time so you can ensure you have sufficient funds in your account avoid the payment bouncing

The transactions are found on the statement page of your Popote account starting from the day of your first transaction.

These two Banks have not yet implemented some system that are required to credit their account via Popote quickly. Therefore the delivery time to them is usually 24 hours but can take up to 2 working days.

Yes on app go to complete payment & search & edit. On web go to management, update payment & search & edit.

Which payment requisition & expense accounting records a user can see is restricted for the integrity, security & privacy of the account. Director admins, directors, system admins & observers can see everyone’s. Approvers can only see their own & those of creators for whom they are permitted to approve for. Creators can only see their own.

You can send airtime to safricom, airtel & telkom numbers


STATUTORY PAYMENTS


  • As a taxpayer, login to the KRA Website & generate an e-slip
  • After you generate the e-slip, login into Popote
  • On ‘Create Payment’ menu, Select ‘Tax & Statutory’
  • On Payment Type, Select ‘Pay Tax’
  • On Payee select ‘KRA ALL TAXES – 572572’
  • On the field labelled ‘Account Number’, fill in the PRN (Payment Registration Number) that’s contained in the e-slip
  • Kindly note that the PRN (Payment Registration Number) expires after 30 days
  • Fill in all other required fields & Submit for Approval or Create & Pay
  • Ensure that the transaction on Itax is in the Registered status otherwise the payment won’t be complete

  • Login into Popote
  • On ‘Create Payment’ menu, Select ‘Tax & Statutory’
  • On Payment Type, Select ‘Pay Statutories’
  • On Payee select ‘NSSF – Pay for Employees – 0000000’
  • On the field labelled ‘Account Number’, fill in the E-slip number
  • Attach the NSSF E-Slip generated from NSSF Portal
  • Fill in all other required fields & submit for approval or Create & Pay

  • Login into Popote
  • On ‘Create Payment’ menu, Select ‘Tax & Statutory’
  • On Payment Type, Select ‘Pay Statutories’
  • On Payee select ‘NSSF – Pay for Individual – 333300’
  • On the field labelled ‘Account Number’, fill in the individual’s NSSF number
  • Fill in all other required fields & submit for approval or Create & Pay

  • Login into Popote
  • On ‘Create Payment’ menu, Select ‘Tax & Statutory’
  • On Payment Type, Select ‘Pay Statutories’
  • On Payee select ‘NHIF – Pay for Employees – 0000000’
  • Attach the NHIF E-Slip generated from NHIF Portal (Byproduct System)
  • Fill in all other required fields & submit for approval or Create & Pay

  • Login into Popote
  • On ‘Create Payment’ menu, Select ‘Tax & Statutory’
  • On Payment Type, Select ‘Pay Statutories’
  • On Payee select ‘NHIF – Pay for Individual – 200222’
  • On the field labelled ‘Account Number’, fill in the individual’s ID number
  • Fill in all other required fields & submit for approval or Create & Pay

Integrations


We offer a free Application Program interface (API) which enables integration with other systems. The customer’s Accounting or ERP system provider is required to perform the integration for which they may levy a charge. We therefore recommend customer’s start off by using Popote with the import/export Excel features rather than integration until the customer is certain on whether they need the integration or not.

Currently No. To fund your account from the bank requires you to do a transfer into your Popote account via RTGS. However direct integration with banks is on-going & expected to complete within 2022. You’ll be required to register for mobile banking with your bank & you’ll then use the security credentials given to you but within the Popote application, to pay out funds from your account. For those who are multi-banked, you will be able to link several bank accounts to one or several Popote accounts. This FAQ will be updated once integration with banks is completed.

Yes. Once you sign up you’ll be able to move funds from your M-pesa account into your Popote account instantly, free of charge & without a limit to the total amount your Popote account can hold

Yes. Once you sign up you’ll have the option to link your own B2C account. Integration will take a few days however in the interim you can be using the pooled B2C account. Popote offers different price plans when integrated with the customers own B2C which can be seen from the Pricing page.

Yes, however we do not encourage it unless you have a specific use case because making payments straight out of your till can distort your records. It is better to settle funds from your till to your bank account & then move via RTGS the amount needed for the next week’s or period’s payments to your Popote account. If you want to know more about this email [email protected]

Yes, however we do not encourage it unless you have a specific use case because making payments straight out of your till can distort your records. It is better to settle funds from your till to your bank account & then move via RTGS the amount needed for the next week’s or period’s payments to your Popote account. If you want to know more about this email [email protected]