Cogitus OS Limited · Nairobi
Less busywork.
More ownership.
We are Cogitus OS Limited, a technology company in Nairobi. We build our own software products for businesses, colleges and creative careers, with a shared ambition: give people the tools and the room to do their work well.
Where it started
Our founder's experience spans hospitality, microfinance, and design and printing. The drive behind Cogitus OS Limited is a love of building and solving problems encountered in everyday work.
We start with what we have seen, ask questions and gather information. Then we look for where technology could make the greatest difference to people and their output.
Six products.
Six kinds of work.
Each one has its own name, its own look and, where it is ready, its own website. Five are live. Lignea is in development.
- 01Arche HRPeople matter. So does payday.Payroll and HR for Kenyan companiesarche.co.ke
- 02CogitusRun your whole college from one place.Admissions, fees and results for collegescogitus.co.ke
- 03Bohari IMSKnow where your stock and money are going.Stock and cost control for restaurants and cafésbohari.co.ke
- 04ArborRun every deal from first enquiry to handover.Leads, listings and commissions for property agentsarbor.co.ke
- 05Vuka OSBook the gig. We'll handle the noise.Gigs, releases and fans for DJs and artistsvukaos.co.ke
- 06LigneaMade to order. Paid in stages.A storefront with layaway for furniture shops · in developmenttalk to us
The name
Our first product was named after thinking.
Cogitus derives from cogitate: to think carefully. It is our college-management product, currently in use at Trinity Pastors College (TPC).
Cogitus OS Limited is the company behind it, Arche HR and the rest of our portfolio. Different products, with their own identities, built around the work people need to do.
See Cogitus, the college productWhat we hold ourselves to.
Find the change that matters.
Understand the work before deciding what to build. Look for the inefficiency whose removal could make the biggest difference to people and their output.
Be faithful in the work.
Do it properly, to the best of our ability, and keep doing it after the rollout. We operate what we build. Support and steady improvement are part of the job, not an add-on.
Keep people thinking.
Technology and AI should extend human capability. People still need to question an answer, exercise judgement and take responsibility for the decisions they make.
A lesson from hospitality
A lost form.
A whole shift affected.
Our founder saw paper leave requests go missing in a workplace with around 700 employees. An employee was left chasing an answer. A manager was left trying to plan around information they could not find.
Having experienced both sides, he wanted the responsibility to be clearer for everyone.
“Where did my form go?”
An answer to chase. A shift to cover.Make the request.
Know where it stands.
Access to your own information, without having to chase it.
See the situation.
Make the decision.
Context for an approval or denial, with a person accountable for the answer.
Less time finding the request.
More attention for the people and the work.
Try the work, not the pitch.
These are working samples from the products. The payroll maths is real Kenyan PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and housing levy. The data is illustrative. Nothing sends a payment or a message.
Payroll run · March 2026
Click any employee to see the statutory breakdown.
Ready to reviewAmina Wanjiru
Finance · March 2026
Personal relief of KES 2,400 applied. Payslips and P9A files come out of the same run.
Fees · Term 2
Click an M-Pesa receipt to reconcile it against a student.
Student balances
Invoice queue · NBD-10042
Nairobi Beverage Distributors, against PO-0871. Pick a reason, then decide.
2 lines flaggedReason to approve
Deals · this month
Drag a deal to move it. Commission books itself when one closes.
Studio, Westlands
2-bed, Kileleshwa
Maisonette, Runda
3-bed apartment, Kilimani
Godown, Mombasa Rd
Fundi · promo proposal
Drafted for Friday's gig. Nothing runs until you approve it.
Needs your OKFRIDAY · THE ALCHEMIST · 10PM. New set, two guests, one very loud room. Tickets and pre-save in bio.
Lignea · furniture storefront
In developmentWe'd rather shape it with the shops that will use it.
A storefront for furniture businesses to show pieces, take orders and handle layaway. It's the product we're building right now, so there's nothing to demo yet, only a decision to make with you.
This is the one product where 3D earns its keep: a piece the buyer can turn, and drop into their own room in AR.
On your phone too. Arche HR, Arbor and Cogitus are on the App Store and Google Play.
Who you will talk to
Arnold Sure founded the company and still answers the phone. Hospitality, microfinance and print before software.
Get in touch