Manual Entry
Add transactions that don't appear on your M-Pesa statement — cash, bank, or anything else.
TL;DR
Not everything goes through M-Pesa. Manual Entry lets you log any transaction — cash at the market, a bank transfer, income received by hand — so your financial picture is complete.
What it is
Manual Entry is a form for recording transactions that won't appear on your M-Pesa statement. Entries you log here go through the same category system as imported transactions and feed into all intelligence products — Operating Statement, Velocity Lab, and the rest.
Access it from the dashboard empty state or the Ledger page.
How to use it
Select the transaction type
Choose one of four types:
- EXPENSE — money you spent (cash, card, bank)
- INCOME — money you received outside M-Pesa
- TRANSFER — money moved between accounts
- INVESTMENT — money put into a savings or investment vehicle
Choose a bucket and sub-bucket
Select the category group (bucket) that fits this transaction — use the search field to find it quickly. Then select the sub-category (sub-bucket) within that group.
Fill in the transaction details
Complete the form:
- DESCRIPTION — what the transaction was for (e.g. Lunch at Java House)
- AMOUNT_KES — the amount in KES
- CHARGE — any transaction fee, if applicable (optional)
- DATE — tap TODAY, YESTERDAY, or CUSTOM to pick a specific date
- NOTES — any additional context you want to record (optional)
Tap LOG_TRANSACTION
The entry is saved, appears in the Ledger immediately, and updates all intelligence products for its date range.
What to look for
- Completeness gap — if a significant portion of your spending happens in cash, your intelligence products will underreport your true cost of living until you log those entries
- Cash discipline — manual entries are only as accurate as your recall; log cash expenses the same day where possible
Tips
- Log recurring non-M-Pesa costs once you know the pattern — salary received via bank transfer, chama contributions paid in cash, rent paid by cheque
- The CHARGE field is for transaction fees (e.g. bank transfer fees) — it's separate from the amount so fees don't distort your category spend totals
- You can edit or delete any manual entry from the Ledger at any time
See also: Ledger · Upload Your M-Pesa Statement