This joint venture is enabled by Factorial's AI Acceleration Fund, worth USD $10 million, which will cover up to 50 per cent of the implementation cost of Factorial's AI agent.

Commenting on the partnership during the KEPSA Members' breakfast, Mary Ngecha, MD of Lineplast Group and KEPSA Director, said, "Our private sector is currently under pressure to manage short-term cost pressures amidst executing our long-term growth strategy. Manufacturing and services together account for 76% of the country's GDP. For us, as the private sector, we have to come up with new ways of attracting, managing, and maximising the productivity of our workforces. This means utilising technology to move from manual processes, disjointed systems, and limited visibility to build efficient, data-driven and globally competitive organisations. We need to remain a regional leader, and workforce productivity needs to be our national priority."

According to the World Bank report, Kenya is characterised by a high share of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with fewer than 2,000 employees. More than 80% of all employees are employed in the SME sector, while it contributes to almost 40% of the national GDP. 

Tailored for organisations with between 20 and 2,000 employees, Factorial enables organisations to minimise operational costs, boost staff engagement, inform decisions with data and ensure compliance using its easy-to-use and cloud-based HR platform. 

Factorial addresses key organisational challenges, including hiring and onboarding talent; freeing HR staff from mundane tasks; ensuring HR policies are followed; preventing disagreements over holidays and shifts; measuring and improving employee performance; creating and deploying learning programs; project management, IT spend and budget control; controlling employee costs and expense reporting, among others. 

Additionally, the software comes complete with audit trails, integrates with Microsoft and Google products, and offers top-tier ERP and Payroll solutions. 

In its commitment to Kenya, Factorial operates from a local office in Nairobi to ensure implementation and ongoing on-the-ground support. Kenya will be used as the regional hub for expansion throughout East Africa. 

"Many organisations in Kenya continue to struggle in terms of productivity, efficiency and competitiveness due to fragmented processes. In order to accelerate the digital transformation and unlock productivity gains, the adoption of modern technology in HR is essential." Added Francesc Rul·lan, Director of Expansion Strategy & Partnerships at Factorial.