digitalframeworksltd.com

What it is

Digital Frameworks Ltd is a Kenyan software company whose flagship product, Wagemaster, covers Payroll, HR, Time & Attendance, and the Wagemaster Online employee self-service portal. It is not a general-purpose global HR SaaS platform; it is clearly built for Kenya-specific payroll and HR management scenarios, with a focus on local filing and payroll processes such as PAYE, NSSF, and SHIF.

Core features and integrations

The payroll module supports the workflow from entering pay items to automatically calculating taxes, deductions, and contributions, generating payslips, management reports, statutory returns, and bank transfer files. It also supports casual workers, weekly pay, overtime, absences, and project-based income. The HR module can manage employee information, leave balances, contract and probation reminders, disciplinary records, and employee documents, making it suitable for moving HR processes toward a paperless setup. For attendance, the system can work with ZKTeco face recognition, fingerprint, PIN, and RFID terminals to collect clock-in data, download it via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB, or the internet, and consolidate working hours into Wagemaster Payroll & HR, or export them to other HR/payroll systems. Wagemaster Online provides employee self-service features such as leave requests, balance checks, salary advance requests, goal viewing, and maintenance of statutory numbers and bank details.

Pricing and support

Its pricing model is a one-time purchase tiered by employee count, ranging from Ksh 23,200 for 10 employees to Ksh 150,800 for unlimited employees. Prices are stated as VAT-inclusive, with no renewal fees or subscription; upgrades are charged based on the price difference. Installation, training, and data import in the Nairobi area cost Ksh 2,900. The license includes a lifetime license key for a single company, 6 months of phone/email/remote desktop support, and free updates related to tax regime changes. The official website also provides a download with a built-in demo license, but it does not specify the official trial period or limitations.

Pros and cons

Its strengths are strong localization, end-to-end coverage across payroll, HR, and attendance, support for multiple users and custom permissions, and the ability to feed biometric attendance data directly into payroll calculations, reducing manual errors. The one-time license is also appealing to SMEs that prefer not to use subscriptions. Limitations include relatively limited disclosure around security and compliance, with only controlled access mentioned; there is no clear information on APIs, an open platform, or developer support; and the deployment model appears to be mainly a desktop network edition with web extensions, while full cloud SaaS or self-hosting capabilities are unclear.

Best fit and access from China

It is best suited for SMEs, restaurants and retailers, manufacturers, or service organizations operating in Kenya that need local payroll tax compliance and integration with attendance hardware. For Chinese companies without Kenyan employment and filing requirements, its practical value is limited. Access from China and payment methods are not disclosed, so they should be treated as “unknown.” Local alternatives in China include Beisen, 薪人薪事, Moka, DingTalk/Feishu HR, and Yonyou.