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Zamara

Fahari Retirement Plan

Personal pension · Regulated by the RBA

What is this?

You save for retirement from your phone, as much and as often as you like. Zamara guarantees at least 5% a year and charges 2% a year plus VAT, taken from the interest. You can take money out at any time for a small charge.

If you put in KES 5,000 a month for 5 years

You pay in
KES 300,000
Charges take
KES 22,404
You'd end up with
KES 334,490
If you stop after 2 years instead

You would have paid in KES 120,000 and get back not disclosed.

They do not publish what you would get back if you stopped early. You would have to ask them.

  • · Based on paying KES 5,000 a month for 5 years.
  • · Their yearly charge is already taken out of the rate they advertise.
  • · The value goes up and down. This is not a promise.
  • · Worked out from the company's own published figures.

The details that matter for this kind of plan

The least it can earn5% a year, guaranteed, capital guaranteed
What it costs2% a year plus VAT, off the interest
Getting money outAny time, for KES 45 to 225 a go
Funeral coverKES 25,000, for KES 100 a year
Pension fromAge 50, paid monthly for 20 years
JoiningAges 18 to 60, by *483*123# or the website, KES 100 once
Registered withRBA and KRA, by the site's own words

What does it cost you?

Yearly charge on your money2% a year
Taken off each payment you makeKES 100
Admin chargeKES 100
Penalty for taking money out earlyKES 45

What if you stop paying?

Nothing happens. There is no penalty for a missed month.

What if you need the money early?

You can, any time. It costs KES 45 to 225 a withdrawal. Zamara asks you not to before 50.

Who this suits

It could work for you if

You want to start small, see every charge in writing, and keep the door open.

Think twice if

You want the law to stop you raiding it. Here only the charge and your own resolve stand in the way.

How openly does this company explain its charges?

BTells you most of it13 of 17 answered
  • What do they charge you every year?
    2% a year, taken from the interest you earn, deducted quarterly, plus VAT.
  • What is taken off the money you pay in?
    KES 100, taken from joining, once, for account opening and maintenance.
  • What does it cost to get out early?
    No exit penalty is printed in the sources we checked.
  • What is the smallest amount you can start with?
    They do not publish a minimum. You have to ask an agent.
  • How long is your money tied up?
    Not at all. You can take it out whenever you want.
  • Is the advertised return before or after their charges?
    After charges. The number you see is the number you get.
  • Do they warn you the return is not guaranteed?
    No warning appears next to the figure, even though it is not a promise.
  • Do they tell you what you get back if you stop early?
    No. You cannot find out what quitting would cost you without asking an agent.
  • Do they list what is not covered?
    This is not insurance, so there is nothing to exclude.
  • Are all their charges published?
    Yes, every charge they mention has a figure against it.
  • Do they say who regulates them?
    Yes — the RBA. That is who you complain to.

This grades how openly things are explained, not whether the plan is good or bad. See how we work it out.

Things to know before you sign

  • · The 5% is a floor. Anything above it is credited at the end of each financial year. Zamara publishes no rate history on the FAQ.
  • · 2% a year plus VAT is deducted quarterly from interest, never from contributions.
  • · KES 100 once to join. KES 100 a year buys KES 25,000 of funeral cover, taken from your account.
  • · You can withdraw at any time: KES 45 up to KES 4,999, rising to KES 225 above KES 50,000. Zamara recommends waiting until 50.
  • · A pension can start from age 50 and is paid monthly for 20 years. You can transfer to another approved scheme.
  • · Join between 18 and 60, by *483*123#, the website or an agent. The site says the scheme is registered with the RBA and KRA.

Talk to them

Compared with the others

There are 4 other plans of this kind on the board. See all 5 side by side — what each one leaves you with, and which of them will not say.

How current is this rate?

The 5% on this page is the rate Zamara guaranteed, as at 2026-08-21 — current.

A floor, not the rate. Fahari "guarantees a minimum interest rate of 5% per year", with a 100% capital guarantee; anything above is credited at the end of each financial year. Its 2% plus VAT fee is taken from the interest, so the floor is what you keep only if the fund earns enough above it..

Where we got this