Kosalo Help Center
Recording Contributions and Loans Manually

Recording contributions and loans manually

Step-by-step guide to manually recording contributions, payouts, loans, and penalties, and how to correct an entry afterward.

Who can do this

Only the Secretary can record contributions, payouts, loans, and penalties.

Periods

Periods and frequency

Everything in this guide happens on the Activity page, inside a specific period. Which periods you see depends on your group's frequency, set during Group Creation & Setup:

  • Weekly groups (Table Banking, Merry-Go-Round, or Hybrid) see periods labelled Week 1, Week 2, and so on.
  • Monthly groups see periods labelled Month 1, Month 2, and so on.
  • Daily groups (Merry-Go-Round or Hybrid only) see periods labelled Day 1, Day 2, and so on.

Periods aren't all generated upfront — the Activity page starts with a first period, and as your group progresses, the Secretary adds the next one when it's needed, rather than scrolling through a full year of empty periods.

  1. On the Activity page, tap the + next to the existing periods to add the next one. This is a different button from the green + used to add a record — this one sits alongside your list of periods, not inside one.
  2. The new period appears at the end of the list, ready to record into.
There's a cap on how many periods you can add, based on your frequency: 52 weeks, 12 months, or 365 days. Once you hit the cap, no further periods can be added until a new cycle starts — see Cycles.
Contributions

Recording a contribution manually

  1. Navigate to the Activity page.
  2. Select the period you'd like to record in.
  3. Tap the green + button.
  4. Select the member — tap Choose Member and search by name.
  5. Enter the amounts for that member.
  6. Tap Save Record.

What you enter in step 5 depends on your group type:

  • Table Banking / Hybrid: savings, shares, fines, and any other contribution fields set up for your group.
  • Merry-Go-Round / Hybrid rotation: the member's contribution for that round.
Payouts

Recording a payout Merry-Go-Round & Hybrid

When it's a member's turn to receive the round's payout, record it the same way as a contribution:

  1. Navigate to the Activity page.
  2. Select the period you'd like to record in.
  3. Tap the green + button.
  4. Select the member — tap Choose Member and search by name.
  5. Enter the amount under Payout Received.
  6. Tap Save Record.
Kosalo doesn't decide whose turn it is — the Secretary tracks the rotation order according to the group's own arrangement, and records the payout against whoever received it that round.
Loans

Recording a loan manually Table Banking & Hybrid

Loans apply to Table Banking and Hybrid groups. Merry-Go-Round groups don't issue loans, so this section doesn't apply.

  1. Navigate to the Activity page.
  2. Select the period you'd like to record in.
  3. Tap the green + button.
  4. Select the member — tap Choose Member and search by name.
  5. Enter the loan issued or paid loan amount.
  6. Tap Save Record.
Loan interest is applied automatically, based on the interest rate set up for your group — see Group Creation & Setup.
There's no approval workflow — recording a loan simply logs it.

Groups that deduct interest upfront

If your group deducts interest upfront, before handing over the loan amount, record the interest as a paid loan alongside the principal amount given to the member.

Example
Your group deducts 10% interest upfront. Emily borrows KES 5,000, so interest is KES 500, and she receives KES 4,500.
  • Record issued loan as KES 5,000 (principal amount)
  • Record paid loan as KES 500 (interest deducted upfront)

Contact support for clarity if your chama uses this system.

Penalties

Adding a loan penalty Table Banking & Hybrid

Penalties in this section are tied to late loan repayment, so they apply to Table Banking and Hybrid groups.

  1. Navigate to the Activity page.
  2. Select the period you'd like to record in.
  3. Tap the green + button.
  4. Select the member — tap Choose Member and search by name.
  5. Enter the penalty amount.
  6. Tap Save Record.
Penalties are never automatic — the Secretary decides and enters them manually, according to the chama's rules.
Some groups call this a rollover, which is the same thing — recorded as a penalty. As long as it's a figure added on top of the current loan when payment is late, it's recorded the same way.
Corrections

Editing or correcting an entry

You can edit any recorded entry — contributions, payouts, loans, or penalties — but only within the first 48 hours.

For any editing needed after 48 hours, contact support for assistance. This window exists to preserve your data and prevent interference with recorded records after the fact.

What's next

See what your recorded data looks like in reports, or try the AI Scan method instead.

Reports → Recording via AI Scan →