A furniture maker in Masaka was getting orders from Huye, Rubavu, and even Kampala through Instagram. The problem: payment. She’d send her MoMo number, the customer would send money, she’d confirm manually, then arrange delivery. It worked for 2–3 orders a week. When orders grew to 10+, the manual process became unmanageable.
Option 1: Manual MoMo (simplest)
If you’re processing under 5 orders per day, manual MoMo works:
- Display your MoMo number on your website or WhatsApp
- Customer sends payment
- You confirm receipt manually
- You process the order
Pros: zero setup cost, immediate. Cons: manual verification, doesn’t scale, no receipts generated automatically.
Option 2: Payment gateway
For automated payments, you need a payment gateway. These handle MoMo, cards, and bank transfers through a single integration:
Flutterwave
- Supports MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, Visa, Mastercard
- Transaction fee: 1.4% local, 3.8% international
- Dashboard for tracking all payments
- API integration for developers or plugins for WordPress/Shopify
DPO (now Network International)
- Established in East Africa, good local support
- Multiple payment methods including MoMo and cards
- Competitive rates for local transactions
IremboPay
- Rwanda-focused payment platform
- Deep integration with local payment methods
- Government-backed, trusted brand
Option 3: Let your website provider handle it
Some website providers pre-integrate payment gateways. Kisimenti, for example, can set up payment acceptance as part of your website — you don’t need to deal with API keys or payment gateway accounts.
What you need to set up
- Business registration certificate
- Bank account in the business name
- Tax compliance certificate (some gateways require this)
- Website or online store where payments will be accepted
Security essentials
- SSL certificate on your website (https://) — non-negotiable for payments
- Never store card details on your own server — let the payment gateway handle that
- Use the payment gateway’s hosted checkout page for maximum security
- Keep your gateway credentials secure — never share API keys via WhatsApp or email
Online payments transform your business from “come to our shop” to “buy from anywhere in Rwanda.” The setup takes a few days. The revenue impact lasts forever.