The short answer
Usually sequence or permissions: registration comes before installing a solution, and whoever is installing needs the rights to install software on that machine.
What this usually means
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
An install that fails is about the machine and about sequence. The sequence part catches people out: registration comes before installing a solution, so installing first and registering after is a path that does not complete.
What to suspect first
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Installing before registering, which is the wrong way round
- A machine that does not meet what the software needs, or an operating system well behind current
- Permissions: the person installing cannot install software on that machine
- A download that did not complete, on a connection that dropped
What you can check yourself
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Confirm registration is done before you install anything.
- Check who is installing and whether they have the rights to install software on that machine.
- Check the machine: free space, operating system version, pending updates.
- Re-download rather than retrying a file that may be incomplete.
When to stop and contact KRA. System requirements and installer problems belong to KRA and to whoever supplied the device. Confirm the requirements with KRA rather than with a summary like this one.
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 states that taxpayers can onboard themselves, and that registration comes before installing an eTIMS solution rather than after it.
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 eTIMS not install?
Usually sequence or permissions: registration comes before installing a solution, and whoever is installing needs the rights to install software on that machine.
What should I check first when etims will not install?
Confirm registration is done before you install anything.
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
- officialeTIMS taxpayer portal — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18
- officialKenya Revenue Authority — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18