The short answer
A local problem on that machine rather than a problem with eTIMS. Restart it first, then check disk space and pending updates.
What this usually means
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
Software that will not start is a local problem on that machine. It is worth separating from "eTIMS is down", because nothing about it involves KRA until you have ruled out the machine.
What to suspect first
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- A machine that has not been restarted or updated in a long time, which describes most counter PCs
- An installation that was never completed properly, or was moved between machines
- Local security software or permissions, particularly on a shared machine
- A device that has run out of space, which fails in ways that look unrelated
What you can check yourself
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Restart the machine before anything else. It resolves a genuinely large share of these.
- Check free disk space and whether the operating system has pending updates.
- Establish whether it ever worked on this machine, and what changed between then and now.
- Try the browser route in the meantime if your situation allows it, so trading is not blocked while you work on the install.
When to stop and contact KRA. If the machine is healthy and the install still will not start, that is a question for KRA support or whoever supplied the setup. We do not publish install steps for software we have not run.
What the rules say
Stated by the publisher from the cited KRA material. Our reviewer has not yet re-checked it against the source, so confirm anything you are about to act on with KRA directly.
KRA documents eTIMS Client options for Windows and for Android, and makes eTIMS Lite reachable through eCitizen, through USSD and as a mobile solution.
Tax rules in Kenya change with each Finance Act and with regulations made during the year. Before acting on any figure, deadline or threshold, check the current position on KRA's own website.
This page explains how a requirement generally works. It is not tax advice, and it cannot account for the specifics of any one business. For a position you intend to rely on, confirm with KRA directly or with a registered tax agent.
Common questions
Why will the eTIMS Client not open?
A local problem on that machine rather than a problem with eTIMS. Restart it first, then check disk space and pending updates.
What should I check first when the etims client will not open?
Restart the machine before anything else. It resolves a genuinely large share of these.
Can you tell me the exact steps to fix it?
Not for anything inside KRA's own software, no. We do not publish click-paths through screens we have not seen documented, because a confident wrong instruction sends you to fix the wrong thing while you are already stuck. What we can do is narrow the cause and tell you when to contact KRA.
How do I know this information is current?
Tax rules in Kenya change with each Finance Act and with regulations made during the year. Before acting on any figure, deadline or threshold, check the current position on KRA's own website.
Related problems
Sources
- officialeTIMS (Electronic Tax Invoice Management System) — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18
- officialKenya Revenue Authority — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18