Understanding Your Categories

How classification works

Every transaction imported from your M-Pesa statement goes through Bucketeer — Jijenga's AI classification engine. Bucketeer reads the counterparty name and transaction context and assigns the transaction to a category. It handles M-Pesa's various transaction formats automatically: paybill, buy goods, send money, Fuliza, withdrawals, and more.

Classification happens automatically and immediately after import. You don't need to do anything — but you can always correct any result.

The category structure

Jijenga uses a three-level structure:

Type → Bucket → Sub-bucket

Types are the four kinds of money movement: EXPENSE, INCOME, TRANSFER, and INVESTMENT. Every transaction belongs to one type.

Buckets are Jijenga's named category groups within each type. For example, under EXPENSE:

Sub-buckets are the specific entities within a bucket — the actual merchants, paybills, or counterparties. For example:

• Under 🛒 Groceries: Carrefour Gcm 06, Highridge Family Store, Wema Shop
• Under 🍽️ Food & Dining: Galitos Imaara, Rib Racks Limited
• Under 🏦 Banking: Equity Bulk Account, Ncba Bank Kenya Plc

Jijenga creates sub-buckets automatically as it encounters new merchants. You can also create your own (see Categories).

M-Pesa personal sends — the most common miscategorisation

When you send money to a person via M-Pesa, the transaction automatically lands in the 👤 Personal bucket under TRANSFER. Jijenga creates a sub-bucket for that person's name.

But M-Pesa sends are used for everything — rent, food, chama contributions, paying a fundi, supporting family. Personal doesn't tell you what the money was for. That's why these transactions often need to be corrected.

How to fix them:

1. Open the QUEUE or the Ledger and find the Personal transaction
2. Tap it to open the detail view
3. Tap the category and select the correct bucket — for example:
   • Sent KES 4,000 for rent → 🏠 Rent & Housing
   • Sent KES 500 for food from a friend's shop → 🍽️ Food & Dining
   • Sent to your chama → create a custom sub-bucket under 🙏 Charity & Faith
4. Confirm the change

Jijenga remembers. The next time you send to the same person, it will suggest the corrected category automatically.

The QUEUE — what needs your attention

After every import, some transactions land in the QUEUE. These are transactions where Bucketeer wasn't confident enough to assign automatically, or where the transaction is new or ambiguous.

The QUEUE badge on the CATEGORY tab shows how many are waiting. Clear it after each import to keep your data clean. The more you correct, the fewer end up in the queue on future imports.

Uncategorised transactions

Uncategorised means Bucketeer couldn't determine the category at all. These appear in the QUEUE and are visible in the Ledger with an Uncategorised badge. They don't count in any intelligence products until you assign them.

An uncategorised transaction is a gap in your data. If it was a significant amount — a paybill, a large send — it's worth correcting so your Operating Statement reflects reality.

How corrections propagate

When you correct a category on any transaction:

• The change applies immediately
• All intelligence products (Operating Statement, Velocity Lab, Monthly Brief) update to reflect the corrected data
• Jijenga remembers the correction for the same counterparty on future imports

One correction fixes the past and improves the future.

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See also: Categories · How to Categorize Transactions