Tech company targets counties with software solutions

Devolution has opened new business opportunities for small businesses and many investors have shifted their focus from the national government to counties.

One such firm is PrimeSoft, a software company that seeks to equip the institutions in the devolved units with the latest applications to boost operations and service delivery. The start-up that is based in Nakuru has expanded to Meru and Eldoret, targeting public and private institutions in those counties.

Primesoft founder Elias Mwaura says growth in technology and demand for new systems by hospitals is growing and it has seen the company create solutions to ease patient registration.

His entrepreneurial journey began after he had just completed his undergraduate course in Computer Science and Engineering at Maseno University in 2006 when he decided to set up an office in Kisumu where he had established a growing clientele.

“In the town, I developed a close relationship with business community which saw me save Sh1.9 million, 70 per cent of which was out of offering services as a freelancer,” he recalls.

However, Mr Mwaura was forced to relocate from Kisumu to Nakuru due to post-election violence where he had to start from scratch because he could not raise money to rent an office or hire any employee. “I had to start all alone once again but this time I began inside my house.”

Freelancing saw him save Sh150,000 which he used to rent an office in Nakuru town. Today, the business has since grown and makes a profit of more than Sh3 million a month.

One of the firm’s software — Hospital Management System — uses biometrics and smartcards for unique identification of patients. This makes treatment easy, especially in cases of emergency that require blood transfusion and organ transplant.

“The Hospital Management System is designed for use in any health facility that desires to achieve efficiency in operations. It offers functionality that covers the entire range of hospital activities,” says Mr Mwaura.

The software is flexible to cater for unique needs and priorities of different hospitals, whether large or small, he adds.

The system is a comprehensive package that includes various modules which cater to different functional aspects of healthcare institutions. It offers health facilities a wide range of choices given that they only use the functions that are relevant to their operations and needs.

Charity Medical Hospital based in Nyahururu, is one of the institutions that benefit from services offered by Primesoft. In the past, the hospital managed its operations manually including processing of invoices for the clients.

Charity Medical director Ambrose Magondu says the system has enabled the hospital management to keep accurate records of the patients.

“It’s more useful in the pharmacy where we are able to keep record of the drugs in store and those in high demand,” he said. “We are also apply the system in the human resource and payroll solutions.”

The growth has enabled the entrepreneur to open two other PrimeSoft branches in Meru and Eldoret to offer one-stop service centre for all information technology solutions. The firm develops software applications for hospitals, schools, hardware shops, supermarkets as well as websites.

“We have a customised system which fits the local ICT set-up that is user-friendly with open prices flexible to customers,” says Mr Mwaura.

Other modules in the system include integration of laboratory machines including MRI, CT scan and X-rays with the surgical theatre equipment. To ensure efficiency in service delivery, Mr Mwaura works with a technical team comprising 15 experts.

“All my employees are young people aged between 23 and 28 whom I am nurturing,” he says. “I prefer them because it is easy to mentor them while they are still fresh from college and equip them with skills relevant to the market.”

He says local firms still find it a big challenge to clinch lucrative government and company deals.

Most State agencies and private firms, Mr Mwaura says, prefer outsourcing services from foreign countries. “This is mostly the government and banking institutions which place a lot of barriers in accessing the contracts. They require a lot of supporting documents,” he said.

PrimeSoft comprises different departments including technical support, sales, administration and finance.

“We have an eye on Kampala and Dar es Salaam where I have established contacts and regular clients,” he says of future regional expansion plans.

Mr Mwaura says the secret of quality service is recruiting IT graduates who have fresh minds and the energy for new innovations.

“Our support consultants visit and review client’s current usage of the installed solution and provide practical guidance on how best maximise the investments made. We also install and maintain CCTVs for businesses and homes,” he says.

Mr Mwaura says a shortage of IT expertise in the market has enabled him to exploit the business window by helping enterprises computerise operations instead of relying on cumbersome manual systems to boost productivity and service delivery.

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