Accounting Automation
The data entry runs itself. The accounting judgement stays with your accountant.
What is accounting automation?
Accounting automation uses fixed rules to handle the mechanical parts of bookkeeping, including bank and M-Pesa reconciliation, invoice capture into the ledger, recurring journals and VAT return preparation, producing the same result every time and leaving an audit trail.
Most accounting work is not accounting. It is matching a bank line to an invoice, typing a supplier bill into the ledger, and posting the same journal every month.
For a Kenyan business the reconciliation problem is worse than the textbook version, because takings arrive across a bank account and several M-Pesa tills, and matching those to invoices by hand is a job in itself.
This is rule based work. It does not need interpretation, and running it on fixed rules is cheaper, faster and far more auditable than pointing an AI model at it.
Why we use rules rather than AI here
Duara builds accounting automation from Nairobi for businesses whose finance team spends its month on data entry rather than on the numbers.
We use rules here rather than AI on purpose. Reconciliation has right answers, and a rule that matches on reference and amount can be checked line by line by your auditor. A model that matches on probability cannot, and for work this mechanical the flexibility buys you nothing you want.
Who this is for
- Reconciliation takes days each month
- M-Pesa and bank takings are matched by hand
- Supplier invoices are typed into the ledger
- Month end runs late every month
Industries we serve
- Retail and wholesale
- Restaurants and hospitality
- Professional services firms
- Schools and colleges
- SACCOs and microfinance
- Construction contractors
Problems this solves
These are volume tasks with correct answers, which is exactly what rules based automation is for.
- Reconciliation by hand. Matching bank and M-Pesa lines against invoices consumes days and is the main reason month end runs late.
- Invoices typed twice. A supplier bill is entered into the ledger by hand, introducing errors that later have to be found.
- The same journals every month. Recurring entries are posted manually, which is repetitive and occasionally forgotten.
- VAT prepared under time pressure. The return is assembled in a rush from records that were never organised for it.
What we deliver
Rules that match bank and M-Pesa transactions against invoices automatically, capture supplier bills into the ledger, post recurring journals on schedule and assemble VAT figures continuously.
Automatic bank and M-Pesa reconciliation
Supplier invoices captured into your ledger
Recurring journals posted on schedule
VAT figures assembled as you trade
Exceptions listed for a person to resolve
An audit trail behind every automated entry
Features
- Rules, not probability. Matches are made on reference and amount, so your auditor can check any line rather than trusting a score.
- M-Pesa reconciliation included. Till and paybill statements are matched alongside the bank, which is where most Kenyan reconciliation time actually goes.
- Exceptions surfaced, not guessed. Anything that does not match cleanly is listed for a person rather than forced into a plausible match.
- Nothing posts without a rule. If no rule covers a transaction it waits, because a wrong entry costs more to unwind than to prevent.
- Full audit trail. Every automated entry records which rule produced it, which is what makes the automation defensible.
Benefits
- Month end stops running late. Reconciliation is the usual bottleneck, and removing it moves the whole close forward.
- Fewer entry errors. Captured invoices do not carry the typing mistakes that later take hours to trace.
- VAT stops being a scramble. Figures assembled as you trade turn the return into a review rather than a reconstruction.
- Your accountant does accounting. Time moves from data entry to the judgement you are actually paying for.
Technologies we use
- Bank and mobile money feeds. Pulling statements from your bank and M-Pesa till or paybill on a schedule.
- Matching rules. Matching on reference, amount, date window and counterparty, in a defined order you can inspect.
- Invoice capture. Reading supplier bills into ledger entries, with anything unclear queued rather than guessed.
- Ledger integration. Writing into QuickBooks, Xero, Sage or your existing system rather than beside it.
- Exception queues. Collecting unmatched items for a person, with the reason each one failed to match.
Rules based automation is the right tool here precisely because it is rigid. Accounting wants the same answer every time, and predictability is the feature.
How the process works, step by step
Accounting automation usually takes four to six weeks, and it runs alongside your manual process for a full month before you rely on it.
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Step 1
Free finance review
We measure how long reconciliation takes and how much of your ledger is typed by hand.
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Step 2
Rules written
Matching rules are drafted from your actual statements, which is where inconsistent references get discovered.
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Step 3
Parallel running
Automation runs beside your manual process for a month so results can be compared line by line.
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Step 4
Exceptions tuned
Rules are adjusted from what failed to match, until the exception queue is short enough to work through.
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Step 5
Handover
Your team runs it, with the rules documented so they can be changed without us.
Quality assurance and how we work
The commitments attached to automation touching your books.
- Nothing posts without a rule. An unmatched transaction waits for a person. A wrong entry costs far more to unwind than to prevent.
- We run parallel for a full month. Automation runs beside your manual process and results are compared line by line before you rely on it.
- Every entry records its rule. The audit trail shows which rule produced each posting, which is what makes this defensible to an auditor.
- We do not automate judgement. Classification decisions with real accounting consequence stay with your accountant rather than being encoded quietly.
- We report when your data is not ready. Where references are too inconsistent for reliable matching, we say so rather than building rules that will fail quietly.
Frequently asked questions about accounting automation
Is any of the matching done by AI?
Mostly no, deliberately. Reconciliation has right answers, and a rule matching on reference and amount can be checked line by line by an auditor. A probability score cannot.
Why is that better?
Because accounting wants the same answer every time. Rigidity is the feature here, and rules are cheaper and more auditable than a model.
Can it reconcile M-Pesa?
Yes, till and paybill statements alongside the bank, which is where most reconciliation time in Kenya actually goes.
What happens to transactions it cannot match?
They wait in an exception queue with the reason they failed. Nothing is forced into a plausible match.
Which ledger does it post into?
QuickBooks, Xero, Sage and most common ledgers, writing into your existing system rather than beside it.
Will it replace our accountant?
No. It removes data entry. Classification judgement and anything with real accounting consequence stays with them.
Does it file our VAT return?
No. It assembles the figures as you trade so the return becomes a review. Filing stays with your accountant.
Is it compliant with KRA requirements?
It keeps records and an audit trail suitable for review. Your accountant confirms compliance for your specific circumstances.
How long before reconciliation is automated?
Four to six weeks, then a full month running in parallel before you rely on it.
Why run in parallel for a whole month?
So results can be compared line by line against your manual process. A shorter test misses month end specific cases.
What if our invoice references are inconsistent?
Matching gets less reliable, and we report that at the review rather than building rules that fail quietly later.
Can it capture supplier invoices?
Yes, into ledger entries, with anything unclear queued for a person rather than guessed at.
Does it handle multiple currencies?
Yes, with rates from your chosen source, and revaluation treatment agreed with your accountant.
Can it post recurring journals?
Yes, on schedule, which removes both the repetition and the occasional forgotten entry.
Will our auditor accept it?
Every entry records which rule produced it, which is normally what an auditor wants. We recommend showing them the rules early.
Can we change the rules ourselves?
Yes. Rules are documented at handover so your team can adjust them without coming back to us.
Does it work for a business with several branches?
Yes, with rules per branch or till where takings need separating.
What if a rule produces a wrong entry?
The audit trail identifies every posting that rule made, so correction is a defined list rather than a search.
Is our financial data confidential?
Yes. Ledger and bank data stay in your systems and are never used to train public AI models.
What does accounting automation cost?
Transaction volume and the number of feeds determine it, quoted against your own statements before anything is agreed.
Glossary of terms
Bookkeeping terms in plain language.
- Reconciliation
- Matching transactions in your bank or M-Pesa records against entries in your ledger.
- Exception
- A transaction no rule could match, listed for a person rather than forced into a guess.
- Recurring journal
- An accounting entry posted on the same basis every period, such as depreciation or accruals.
- Audit trail
- The record showing how each entry was produced, which an auditor can follow.
- Month end close
- The process of finalising a period accounts, usually delayed by reconciliation.
- Rules based automation
- Automation following fixed instructions, producing the same result every time.
Related services in Automation
Talk to us about accounting automation
Time how long your last month end reconciliation took, including the M-Pesa side. That figure is the case.
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