If you've ever been part of a chama, you probably know table banking by experience, even if you've never called it that.
Members contribute money to a common pool, loans are requested and approved, repayments are tracked, fines are recorded, and everyone needs to know exactly where the group's money stands.
For many Kenyan chamas, this process still happens through notebooks, spreadsheets, WhatsApp messages, bank visits, and meetings where important financial decisions have to be recorded manually.
The system works because chamas are built on trust and accountability. But managing the records manually can take a lot of time and can make it difficult for every member to have a clear view of the group's finances.
Zedek's Table Banking product brings that same trusted model into the digital age.
Instead of relying on a notebook or a single treasurer to keep track of everything, your chama can manage contributions, loans, repayments, fines, meetings, and other activities in one place, with members able to see the information they need from their phones.
What Is Table Banking?
Table banking is a form of group saving and lending where members of a chama make regular contributions into a shared fund. Members can then borrow from the fund according to rules agreed upon by the group, with interest from loans helping to grow the group's collective savings.
Traditionally, table banking has relied heavily on physical meetings and manual record-keeping. A treasurer may collect contributions, a secretary may record transactions in a book, and loan approvals may require several officials to be physically present.
This approach can work well for small groups, but as a chama grows, keeping accurate and accessible records becomes increasingly important.
What happens when a member wants to confirm how much they have contributed?
What happens when someone wants to know how much the chama has outstanding in loans?
What happens when there is a disagreement about a fine, repayment, or contribution?
With manual records, answering these questions can mean searching through notebooks, bank statements, spreadsheets, or old WhatsApp conversations.
Zedek brings these records together in one digital platform, making it easier for your chama to manage its finances and keep members informed.
Key Features of Zedek Table Banking
Role-Based Governance
Chamas can assign different roles and permissions to officials such as the chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, treasurer, and ordinary members.
This creates a clearer structure for managing the group and reduces dependence on one individual.
Configurable Contributions
Set your chama's contribution amount, frequency, and rules, then use Zedek to keep track of member contributions.
Members can easily monitor their own contribution history while chama officials can keep track of the group's overall position.
Digital Loan Requests and Approvals
Members can request loans through the platform, while the chama's designated officials can review and manage those requests according to the group's rules.
Loan information, repayments, interest, and outstanding balances can then be tracked digitally instead of relying on handwritten records.
Fines and Penalties
Chamas often have rules around late contributions, missed meetings, and other activities.
Zedek makes it easier to record and track fines so that everyone has a clear record of what has been charged and why.
Meeting Scheduling and Notifications
Keep members informed about upcoming chama meetings and important activities through digital notifications.
This can make it easier for members to stay involved without relying entirely on phone calls or messages in a group chat.
Merry-Go-Round Scheduling
If your chama operates a merry-go-round, Zedek can help organize the payout schedule and keep members informed about the order of contributions and payouts.
Grow Your Chama's Savings
Managing your chama's money is only part of the equation. Your group also needs to think about how its savings can grow.
Through Zedek, chamas can access investment opportunities designed to help them put their savings to work rather than simply leaving surplus funds idle.
Transparency for Every Member
Perhaps the biggest advantage of moving table banking online is visibility.
Instead of financial information being held in one notebook or by one official, members can have access to relevant information about contributions, loans, repayments, fines, and the group's financial position.
When everyone can see the same records, it becomes easier to build accountability and reduce misunderstandings.
Why Chamas Are Moving Beyond Paper Records
The traditional chama model is not the problem. In fact, it is one of the strengths of Kenya's community savings culture.
The challenge is managing that model as groups become larger, transactions become more frequent, and members expect the same convenience from their chama that they experience with other financial services.
Consider a typical chama.
A member makes a contribution. Another member requests a loan. The treasurer updates the records. The secretary records the meeting. Someone calculates interest. Another person checks outstanding balances. Later, a member asks for a statement.
None of these tasks is particularly difficult on its own.
The problem is that doing all of them manually creates opportunities for mistakes, delays, missing records, and disagreements.
Digital table banking changes that.
With Zedek, your chama can bring many of these activities together in one platform, giving officials better tools to manage the group and members greater visibility into their finances.
Table Banking on the Phone
One of the biggest changes technology has brought to financial services is convenience.
You no longer need to visit a bank branch to check your balance. You can transfer money from your phone, receive notifications about transactions, and access financial information almost instantly.
Your chama should not have to remain behind.
A modern chama can manage its finances digitally while still maintaining the principles that made group savings successful in the first place: trust, accountability, discipline, and collective decision-making.
That is the idea behind Zedek's Table Banking product.
We are not trying to change how chamas save.
We are making it easier for them to manage how they already save.
We're Inviting Chamas to Become Early Testers
Zedek's Table Banking product is currently being opened to a limited number of chamas as we continue improving the platform.
If your chama is still relying on notebooks, spreadsheets, multiple WhatsApp conversations, or manual processes to manage its table banking activities, this is an opportunity to try a different approach.
As an early tester, your chama can get access to the product while also giving us direct feedback on what works, what needs improvement, and what features would make table banking even better.
We want to build this with chamas, not simply for them.
Is Your Chama Ready to Go Digital?
Sign up your chama for early access to Zedek's Table Banking platform:
Have questions before signing up?
Call us on 0797737137, 0716642790, or 0791638574, and our team will be happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zedek's Table Banking app free for chamas?
Yes. Table Banking is currently free for chamas as we grow our early adopter community.
How does Zedek improve transparency in a chama?
Zedek brings important chama records into one digital platform. Contributions, loans, repayments, fines, and other transactions can be recorded and made accessible according to the group's roles and permissions.
This makes it easier for members and officials to work from the same set of records instead of relying on separate notebooks or spreadsheets.
How secure are our chama's funds on Zedek?
Zedek is designed to provide a structured digital environment for managing chama transactions and records. Transactions are recorded digitally, giving the group a clear history of its financial activity.
Members should also follow good security practices, including keeping their login credentials and phone securely protected.
Do we need to stop banking with our current bank?
No.
Zedek's Table Banking product helps your chama manage its day-to-day operations, records, contributions, loans, and other activities.
Your chama can continue using its existing banking arrangements according to its own needs and decisions.
Can our existing chama join Zedek?
Yes. If your chama is interested in moving its table banking activities online, you can sign up and speak to our team about getting started.
Bring Your Chama Into the Digital Age
Table banking has always been about more than money.
It is about members coming together, saving consistently, supporting one another, and building financial security as a group.
Technology should strengthen that model, not replace it.
With Zedek, your chama can keep the principles that make table banking work while replacing many of the manual processes that make it difficult to manage.
Your chama has already learned how to save together. Now it can manage those savings digitally.
Join Zedek and bring your table banking into the digital age.