ShimaHR Consultants Review
ShimaHR Consultants is a Nairobi-headquartered East Africa HR consultancy providing EOR and payroll services across Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan. With offices in Nairobi and Kampala, it covers the full employment lifecycle including statutory payments, tax registration, and employee separations under each country's respective labour law. Three-country East African coverage.
Countries
Companies
Per Employee/Month
Setup Time
Provider Highlights
Advantages
- Three-country East Africa presence (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan) — dedicated contacts per country; covers East Africa's commercial hub (Nairobi), emerging manufacturing economy (Uganda), and highest-demand frontier market for NGO/oil/humanitarian EOR (South Sudan)
- Nairobi CBD headquarters at Pension Towers, Loita Street — prime commercial address adjacent to KRA, Ministry of Labour, NSSF, and SHA offices; relevant for EOR compliance activities requiring government authority interaction
- The broadest East Africa HR service suite in this audit series — EOR + HR Advisory + L&D + HRIS + HR Audit + Statutory Submissions + Outsourced HR + Staffing + Recruitment + Performance Management + Team Building; single East Africa partner for the full HR operations lifecycle
- South Sudan-specific contact confirmed (email and phone) — South Sudan EOR is commercially significant but extremely rare in this audit series; NGO, oil services, and UNMISS-related deployments create sustained demand; ShimaHR has confirmed South Sudan consulting history
- Strategic alliance model for specialist HR expertise; Kenya PAYE/NSSF/SHA/Housing Levy compliance coverage; EAT time zone (UTC+3) provides good European morning overlap
Limitations
- ⚠️ No confirmed founding year, founder name, team size, or organisational history — the least publicly documented provider in this entire audit series; the most critical due diligence gap requiring direct resolution before engagement
- ⚠️ Website 415 error — primary digital channel inaccessible; use direct email contacts for initial outreach
- No confirmed regulatory licence, ISO certification, or professional network membership; EOR service page is a single paragraph (the least detailed EOR documentation in this series); zero platform-verified reviews
- Single self-hosted testimonial (unnamed client, recruitment service — not EOR); "strategic alliances with specialists brought on board as required" creates subcontractor accountability variability for large-scale deployments
- No published pricing; no HRIS platform, employee portal, or mobile app; no self-serve onboarding; East Africa scope only
Platform Features & Capabilities
⚠️ Due Diligence Prerequisites — The Most Important Section for ShimaHR
Given the documentation limitations of this audit, the most important feature walkthrough for ShimaHR is not a service description but a buyer due diligence checklist. Before any ShimaHR engagement: (1) Verify company registration via the Kenya Business Registration Service (BRS) online portal — confirm ShimaHR's Kenyan company registration number, registration date, and director names; this is publicly accessible and takes minutes; (2) Confirm website accessibility — shimahr.com returned a 415 error during this audit; if the website is still inaccessible at the time of your evaluation, treat this as a digital infrastructure concern requiring direct explanation; (3) Request regulatory licence confirmation — ask whether ShimaHR holds any licences from Kenya's Ministry of Labour or Kenya Revenue Authority for employment/payroll services; (4) Ask for a named senior consultant (not just an email address) with verifiable LinkedIn profile; (5) Request 2–3 EOR-specific client references (not recruitment or HR advisory clients) from organisations of comparable size in your target country.
Kenya EOR Compliance — PAYE, NSSF, SHA, Housing Levy
Kenya's EOR payroll compliance stack has undergone significant updates in 2024–2025 that a current Kenya EOR provider must manage. PAYE (Pay As You Earn): Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) progressive income tax (10%–35%); employers must automatically apply eligible tax reliefs when calculating employee PAYE effective July 2025. NSSF (National Social Security Fund): Tier 1 (lower earnings limit, KES 8,000/month) + Tier 2 contributions following the 2023 NSSF Act — though the Act has faced legal challenges affecting implementation; confirm current effective contribution rates with ShimaHR directly. SHA (Social Health Authority): replaced NHIF effective October 2024; employer contribution 2.75% of gross monthly salary (minimum KES 300). Housing Levy: employer 1.5% + employee 1.5% of gross salary, effective March 2023. Minimum wage: effective November 2024, KES 15,200+ (varies by sector — manufacturing, agricultural, domestic, general minimum wage categories are distinct). Kenya Labour Laws: Employment Act 2007, Labour Relations Act 2007, Work Injury Benefits Act 2007 form the primary employment law framework.
South Sudan EOR — The Rarest East Africa Market in This Series
South Sudan's confirmed contact details (adminSS@shimahr.com; +211 916 702 340) represent one of the most commercially significant EOR market accesses confirmed in this audit series outside the Libya/Iraq/Burkina Faso/Niger frontier markets. South Sudan hosts UNMISS (the UN Mission in South Sudan — one of the world's largest UN peace operations), hundreds of international NGOs, WFP food security operations, multiple international oil concessions (TotalEnergies Block B, CNPC/ONGC oil fields in Upper Nile and Unity States), and bilateral donor programmes. Each of these operations requires compliant employment structures for both South Sudanese national staff and international experts. South Sudan's employment regulatory environment is genuinely complex: South Sudan Labour Act 2017, Personal Income Tax Act 2009 (amended), National Social Insurance Fund (NSIF) requirements, and the practical challenge of operating in a country with periodic insecurity and limited banking infrastructure. ShimaHR's confirmed South Sudan consulting history is one of the most commercially relevant differentiators in this audit series for the NGO and oil services sector.
What Users say
The Only Testimonial — Recruitment, Not EOR
ShimaHR's only confirmed public testimonial is from an unnamed retail company client describing a recruitment engagement: "Having been skeptical about ShimaHR Consultants' ability to partner us in our recruitment campaign I was thoroughly impressed with the professionalism they showed." The positive sentiment is real — the client started skeptical and was won over by professional execution. But the testimonial is: (1) from an unnamed company; (2) about a recruitment service, not EOR; (3) the only available testimonial after what appears to be multiple years of operation. For EOR buyers, this provides a character reference for ShimaHR's general professionalism but zero insight into EOR payroll accuracy, statutory compliance, South Sudan deployment capability, or employee support quality. Request EOR-specific references directly before engagement.
Documentation Limitations — What They Mean and What to Do
ShimaHR has the lowest publicly available documentation of any provider in this audit series. No founding year, founder name, team size, regulatory licence, ISO certification, or professional network membership is confirmed from available sources. This is not necessarily evidence of poor service quality — many legitimate East Africa professional services firms operate on relationship-based referrals without extensive public documentation. It is, however, a procurement risk that requires active buyer mitigation. The appropriate mitigation steps: (1) Kenya Business Registration Service (BRS) verification — ShimaHR's registration number, date, directors, and status are publicly searchable online and provide the baseline organisational verification; (2) direct consultant conversation — request a named consultant with LinkedIn profile and arrange a video call; (3) EOR client references — request two named EOR clients in Kenya or Uganda (ideally NGO or commercial sector matching your profile) with direct contact permission for reference calls.
OUR TAKE
Is ShimaHR the Right East Africa EOR for You?
ShimaHR Consultants is most appropriately recommended for the highly specific buyer profile of an international NGO, development finance organisation, or frontier market operator needing simultaneous HR support across Kenya + Uganda and/or South Sudan from a single East Africa regional partner, particularly when the operational need extends beyond EOR to HR consulting, policy development, statutory submissions, and staffing within the same provider relationship. Given the documentation gaps identified in this audit, Compareor recommends the following pre-engagement due diligence: verify current website accessibility; confirm founding year and company registration details via Kenya Business Registration Service (Bizna Kenya portal); request ISO or regulatory licence confirmation; speak directly with a named ShimaHR consultant before engagement; and obtain 2–3 EOR-specific client references before signing any agreement. Contact: adminKE@shimahr.com / +254 725 699 475 (Kenya).
Best For
Kenya Uganda South Sudan EOR
Companies needing HR and EOR support across Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan.
East Africa NGO Development Finance HR
NGOs and development organisations deploying field staff across African countries.
Nairobi Hq East Africa EOR
Companies hiring across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda with owned entities.
Multi Country East Africa HR Consultancy
Businesses managing employees across multiple East African countries from a single provider.
ALTERNATIVES
How it compares
ShimaHR vs GoGlobal (for East Africa EOR within global)
GoGlobal covers 140+ countries with 83 owned entities, SOC 2 (EY-audited), ISO 27001, and enterprise EOR. ShimaHR covers Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan with three-country presence, broad HR service suite, and South Sudan consulting history. GoGlobal wins on global coverage, owned entities, SOC 2, ISO 27001, enterprise features, and institutional credentialing. ShimaHR wins on South Sudan-specific experience (GoGlobal's South Sudan coverage is unconfirmed), local Kenya market knowledge, and the integrated HR consultancy model (advisory, L&D, staffing alongside EOR). For global enterprise EOR including East Africa with SOC 2, GoGlobal. For multi-country East Africa EOR with South Sudan history and broad HR consultancy, ShimaHR — subject to due diligence completion.
ShimaHR vs Intel Outsourcing Services (for African specialist EOR)
Intel Outsourcing Services covers 7 Francophone African countries (Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, DR Congo, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger) with OHADA compliance, 60+ clients, and 2,500+ managed payroll staff. ShimaHR covers Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan with three-country East Africa presence and broad HR consultancy. Intel wins on client scale (60+ clients; 2,500+ payroll staff), OHADA expertise, and project fund disbursement. ShimaHR wins on English-speaking East Africa coverage (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan — entirely different from Intel's Francophone markets), and the integrated HR consultancy model. For Francophone Africa EOR, Intel Outsourcing. For English-speaking East Africa EOR across Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan, ShimaHR — subject to due diligence completion.
Custom Pricing — No Published Rates; East Africa Boutique Should Price Below Global Platform Rates
<p id="">ShimaHR publishes no pricing for any service. The primary website (shimahr.com) returned a 415 error during this audit — contact directly via adminKE@shimahr.com (+254 725 699 475) for Kenya, adminUG@shimahr.com (+256 782 288 562) for Uganda, or adminSS@shimahr.com (+211 916 702 340) for South Sudan.</p><p id="">East Africa boutique EOR providers typically price between $150–400/month per employee — below the $499–599/month range of global platforms. Request a written quote covering: the monthly management fee per employee per country (Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan each have different statutory contribution rates); statutory contributions included vs. additional; whether rates differ for local employees vs. expatriates; and any one-time setup or offboarding fees.</p>
Pricing Breakdown
Base Monthly Fee (Per employee, per month)
Setup Fee (One-time, varies by country)
Termination Fee (Covers statutory costs)
Volume Discounts (Available for 10+ employees)
Countries where it operates
Latest news & updates
2024–2025 — Kenya Statutory Compliance Updates
Kenya implemented several significant payroll compliance changes in 2024–2025 that any Kenya EOR provider must apply: SHA (Social Health Authority) replacing NHIF effective October 2024 (employer contribution 2.75% of gross salary); PAYE tax relief automatic application update (effective July 2025); Affordable Housing Levy continued implementation (1.5% employer + 1.5% employee); minimum wage revision effective November 2024. An operational Kenya EOR provider like ShimaHR must actively monitor and implement these changes — confirm with adminKE@shimahr.com that all 2024–2025 statutory updates are current in their payroll calculations.
Ongoing — South Sudan Humanitarian and Oil Sector EOR Demand
South Sudan continues to host major international operations including UNMISS (20,000+ uniformed personnel), WFP food security programme (one of the world's largest), hundreds of NGO programmes, and active oil concessions. Each of these operations requires compliant employment structures for local and international staff. ShimaHR's South Sudan presence is commercially significant for organisations managing humanitarian or oil sector operations in this frontier market.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the EOR Provider.
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How do I contact ShimaHR given the website is inaccessible?
shimahr.com returned a 415 error during this audit. Use direct country email contacts: Kenya (adminKE@shimahr.com; +254 725 699 475), Uganda (adminUG@shimahr.com; +256 782 288 562), South Sudan (adminSS@shimahr.com; +211 916 702 340). For initial due diligence before contacting ShimaHR, verify the company registration details via Kenya's Business Registration Service (BRS) online portal — search for ShimaHR Consultants to confirm registration number, directors, and registration date. This takes minutes and provides baseline organisational verification independent of website access.
What are the current Kenya payroll statutory deductions?
Kenya's EOR payroll compliance as of 2025 includes: PAYE (progressive income tax 10%–35% with automatic tax relief application from July 2025); NSSF Tier 1 and Tier 2 contributions (confirm current effective rates directly with ShimaHR given legal challenges to the 2023 NSSF Act); SHA (Social Health Authority) at 2.75% of gross salary employer contribution (effective October 2024, replacing NHIF); Housing Levy at 1.5% employer + 1.5% employee of gross salary. Minimum wage: KES 15,200+ effective November 2024 (varies by sector). Gratuity: tax-exempt effective July 2025 for both public and private sector employees.
Why doesn't ShimaHR provide details about their team or founding?
No founding year, founder name, or team details are confirmed in publicly available ShimaHR materials from this audit. This is the most significant due diligence limitation for a Comparearor evaluation. Request directly from ShimaHR: the company registration number (verifiable via Kenya BRS); the name and LinkedIn profile of the consulting director or managing consultant responsible for EOR engagements; and the firm's founding year. Also confirm whether ShimaHR holds any Ministry of Labour operating licence or KRA accreditation for employment services.
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Switching to or from ShimaHR Consultants?
Engaging ShimaHR Consultants
Given the website 415 error, initiate contact via direct email: adminKE@shimahr.com for Kenya EOR, adminUG@shimahr.com for Uganda, adminSS@shimahr.com for South Sudan. Before any engagement: verify company registration via Kenya BRS; request a named consultant with verifiable profile; obtain a written EOR pricing proposal per country; confirm the specific legal entities that will be the employer of record in Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan; and request EOR-specific client references (not recruitment or HR advisory). For Kenya EOR: confirm current SHA contribution rates (October 2024 change), NSSF effective contribution model (2023 Act legal situation), and Housing Levy compliance. For South Sudan EOR: confirm the National Social Insurance Fund (NSIF) registration process and current employer contribution rates specifically.
Switching away from ShimaHR
When transitioning away from ShimaHR, request: payroll records per employee per country (KES/UGX/SSP gross-to-net, PAYE, NSSF/SHA, Housing Levy); KRA PAYE records; NSSF and SHA employer account records; Uganda NSSF records; South Sudan NSIF records (if applicable); employment contracts; leave balance records; and any outstanding statutory submission filings. For Kenya employees: confirm KRA PAYE reconciliation is current for the transition period. For SHA: confirm current employer account status with the Social Health Authority. For Housing Levy: confirm monthly levy remittances are current to the Kenya Revenue Authority.
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