Table Banking Role-Based Approvals

Chama Lending,
Governed & Accountable

The chama table banking model you trust — now with built-in checks and balances. Members contribute on schedule, borrow against the pooled fund, and every loan, withdrawal or investment moves through approvals from your chama's own officials before a single shilling moves.

Funds held securely in Chama Wallet
Approvals from your chama's own officials
Built-in dispute window on every transaction
Loan Application
Umoja Traders Chama
Pending
Requested Amount
KSh 35,000
Flat rate · 12 months · For: Stock restock
Approval Status
JM
Chairperson — James M.
✓ Approved
RW
Treasurer — Ruth W.
✓ Approved
SK
Secretary — Samuel K.
● Reviewing
Dispute Window Closes
In 22 hours · No disputes raised
Role-Based
Loan & Withdrawal Approvals
Automatic
Late Contribution Fines
2 Methods
Flat Rate & Reducing Balance Loans
Built-In
Dispute Window on Every Payout
From Contribution to Loan

How Table Banking
Works on Zedek

A familiar table banking cycle — contribute, borrow, repay, grow — now with automatic tracking and approvals at every step that matters.

1

Your Chama Sets the Scheme

The admin creates a contribution scheme — the amount each member pays, and how often (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). If your chama's rules require sign-off, the scheme goes through approval before it goes live.

2

Members Contribute on Schedule

Contributions move from each member's wallet into the chama's pooled Table Banking fund. Zedek tracks who has paid and who hasn't, cycle by cycle.

Auto-Tracked
3

Miss a Deadline, Get Fined Automatically

If a member misses a contribution date, Zedek applies the fine your chama has configured — no awkward reminders from the treasurer, no manual penalty calculations.

Configurable Fines
4

Members Borrow Against the Pool

A member applies for a loan against the pooled fund, choosing a flat-rate or reducing-balance repayment plan. The application moves into the approval queue.

5

Chama Officials Approve — Not Just Anyone

Loan creation and disbursal each require sign-off from the roles your chama assigns — typically the Chairperson and Treasurer. Nothing disburses on a single person's word.

Multi-Role Sign-Off
6

A Dispute Window Protects Every Member

Before high-stakes actions finalize, there's a window where any member can raise a formal dispute. The action pauses until chama officials resolve it — so disagreements get handled before money moves, not after.

7

Funds Disburse Straight to the Wallet

Once approved, the loan amount moves from the chama wallet directly into the member's Zedek Wallet. Repayments flow back the same way, automatically tracked against the instalment schedule.

8

Surplus Funds Get Put to Work

Idle balances don't have to sit still. Your chama can direct surplus contributions into investments, and returns are tracked and distributed back to members as dividends based on each member's contribution share.

Investments & Dividends
Built for Accountability

Every Role Has
Its Own Permissions

Your chama's officials keep the same authority they have around the physical table — Zedek just makes their approvals visible, timestamped, and impossible to skip.

Chairperson

Approves loan creation and disbursal, and has final say on disputes raised during the review window.

Treasurer

Signs off on disbursals, withdrawals, and investment decisions. Oversees the chama wallet balance at every stage.

Secretary

Reviews member-facing records — contributions, fines, meeting minutes — and can flag entries for correction.

Member

Contributes on schedule, applies for loans, and can raise a dispute on any pending transaction during its review window.

Your chama decides which roles approve which actions — Zedek just enforces it consistently, every time.

Borrow Against Your Pool

Estimate Your
Loan Repayments

Zedek supports both flat-rate and reducing-balance loans. Here's a quick estimate using a flat-rate schedule — your chama sets its own interest rate and repayment terms.

Borrow Against the Pool

Loan principal is disbursed from the chama's pooled wallet straight to your Zedek Wallet once approved — no cash handling, no delays.

Flat Rate or Reducing Balance

Choose the repayment structure your chama prefers. Flat rate charges interest on the original principal; reducing balance charges interest only on what's left owing.

Instalments Tracked Automatically

Each repayment is logged against your instalment schedule. Overdue instalments are flagged automatically, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Flat-Rate Loan Estimator

What Would Your Instalments Look Like?

KSh 5,000 KSh 35,000 KSh 200,000
1 month 12 months 24 months
Principal KSh 35,000
Interest (flat rate, illustrative 1.5% / month) + KSh 6,300
Estimated Monthly Instalment KSh 3,442

* Illustrative estimate at a 1.5% flat monthly rate. Your chama configures its own interest rate, repayment method, and approval requirements — actual figures will differ.

Nothing Moves Unapproved

Watch a Loan Move
Through Approval

Every step is logged, timestamped, and visible to your chama. No more "did the treasurer actually approve that?" — the record speaks for itself.

Application Role Approval Dispute Window Disbursed
Loan Application #TB-2291
KSh 35,000 — Stock Restock
In Review
JM
Chairperson approved
09:14 AM
RW
Treasurer approved
11:02 AM
Dispute window open
Closes in 22h
Disbursal — pending window
Everything You Need

Built for Discipline,
Governance & Trust

Scheduled Contributions

Set a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly contribution schedule per member. Zedek tracks every payment against the cycle automatically.

Automated Fines

Missed a contribution deadline? Zedek applies the fine your chama has configured — no manual chasing, no inconsistent penalties.

Loans Against the Pool

Members apply for loans with flat-rate or reducing-balance repayment plans. Instalments and overdue payments are tracked automatically.

Role-Based Approvals

Your chama decides which roles must approve loans, withdrawals, and investments. No disbursal happens on one person's authority alone.

Dispute Resolution Window

Before high-stakes transactions finalize, members get a window to raise a formal dispute — pausing the action until officials resolve it.

Investments & Dividends

Direct surplus funds into investments and distribute returns back to members as dividends, calculated by each member's contribution share.

Meeting Management

Schedule chama meetings, track attendance, and keep a record of decisions — all tied back to the same Table Banking activity log.

Real-Time Notifications

Officials and members are notified the moment an approval is needed, a dispute is raised, or a payout is disbursed — nobody finds out late.

Dedicated Chama Wallet

All Table Banking funds sit in a dedicated chama wallet, fully separated from personal balances, with every movement logged for audit.

Real Stories

Chamas Lending With
Confidence

"As Treasurer, I used to get blamed for every delayed loan, even ones I'd already approved. Now every approval is timestamped and visible to the whole group. The arguments have basically stopped."

Ruth Wambui
Treasurer, Umoja Traders Chama

"We moved our table banking from a notebook to Zedek and honestly, the fines feature alone has fixed our biggest headache. People take deadlines seriously now because the penalty is automatic, not personal."

Peter Mwangi
Chairperson, Nyeri Boda Riders Chama
FAQ

Common Questions About
Table Banking

Table banking is a chama savings model where members contribute money on a regular schedule into a shared fund, then borrow against that fund as loans. Repayments and interest grow the pool over time, and the chama can invest surplus funds or pay out dividends to members.

Your chama configures which roles must approve each action type. Typically the Chairperson and Treasurer must both sign off on loan creation and disbursal, while withdrawals and investments can require similar multi-role approval before funds move.

High-stakes actions — loans, withdrawals, investments — go through a configurable dispute window before they're finalized. Any member can raise a formal dispute during this window, which pauses the action until chama officials review and resolve it.

Zedek applies the fine your chama has configured for late contributions automatically. The exact amount and rules are set by your chama's officials when the contribution scheme is created.

A flat-rate loan charges interest on the full original principal for every instalment. A reducing-balance loan charges interest only on the amount still outstanding, so interest decreases as you repay. Your chama chooses which method applies to its loan products.

Yes. Chamas can direct idle contributions into investments through Zedek. Returns are tracked and distributed back to members as dividends, calculated according to each member's contribution share.

All Table Banking funds sit in a dedicated chama wallet, fully separated from individual member accounts. Every contribution, loan, repayment, and withdrawal is logged, and high-stakes transactions require multi-role approval plus a dispute window before funds move.

Start Table Banking