Everything you need to use the SESTWA Member Portal

What is the SESTWA portal? Everyone

A member-funded welfare system for teachers of Suna East Sub-County.

SESTWA exists so that when a colleague faces bereavement, a medical emergency or another approved hardship, members can respond together – quickly, fairly and transparently. The portal replaces cash collection and paper lists. The Secretary posts an announcement (an appeal with a fixed amount per member), every active member is notified, and each member pays that amount by M-Pesa or Equity Mobile. The portal records each payment automatically and shows who has paid.

The journey in four steps

What the portal can do

Roles and account status Everyone

What you can see and do depends on your role. Whether you can sign in depends on your account status.

Roles

* Secretaries and Admins land on the Admin Overview after sign-in. Their sidebar includes My Profile, Contribute and Change Password.

Account status

Every account has one status. It controls whether you can sign in.

The public website Visitors

Anyone can read these pages without signing in.

Home page

The home page is the front door. A slideshow of photos plays behind the headline, and the figures on the page are drawn live from the member database.

Illustration of the Home page.

1. Navigation bar. Home, About, Leadership, Constitution, Announcements, Contact, Join Now and Login. On a phone it collapses into a menu button.
2. Call-to-action buttons. Become a member opens registration. See appeals goes to Announcements (you must sign in to view it).
3. Live appeal card. Shows the latest appeal: how many members have paid, total members, the amount each member pays, and a progress ring. If there are no appeals yet it shows an invitation to join instead.
4. At-a-glance figures. Active members, schools covered, welfare appeals and total KES contributed. They count up as you scroll.
5. Latest welfare announcements. Each card shows the type, status (Open or Closed), amount, date, deadline, progress bar and a Contribute now button. The button takes you to sign-in. A closed appeal shows a disabled Appeal closed button.

Further down you will find How it works (the four steps), Meet our executives (a preview of the leadership team), a Not a member yet? banner, and a footer with quick links, contact details and social links.

Other public pages

Contact page and message form

Use the form to reach the executive. All fields marked * are required.

After you press Send message, a green confirmation appears. Messages are kept in the system for the executive and are normally answered within one working day.

Registering for an account Visitors

Free, takes about a minute, and happens in two short steps.

Open Join Now from the menu (or Become a member on the home page). Keep your TSC number, National ID and the phone number registered for M-Pesa at hand.

Step 2 of 2 – the second screen

1. TSC number – e.g. TSC/123456. Typing just the digits works too. The portal checks instantly whether it is already registered.
2. Current school – choose your school from the drop-down list. If yours is missing, contact the Secretary to have it added.
3. M-Pesa phone – a Kenyan number starting 07 or 01. This is where payment prompts will be sent.
4. Password – at least 8 characters. The four-bar strength meter shows how strong it is; the eye icon shows or hides what you typed.
5. Submit registration – only works after you tick the agreement. The ← button goes back to step 1.

Every field and its rules

What happens after you submit

Signing in and out Everyone

One sign-in page for members, Secretaries and Admins.

1. Status banner. Appears after you activate, when your session expired, or when you tried a page you are not allowed to open.
2. Identifier. Type your TSC number, phone number or email – whichever you registered with.
3. Password. The eye icon reveals what you typed.
4. Forgot password? Opens the password-reset page. If the reset message does not arrive, ask the Secretary to set a new password for you.
5. Sign in. Pressing Enter also works.

Where you land after signing in

• Members go to the Dashboard.
• Secretary and Admin go to the Admin Overview.
• If you are already signed in and open the sign-in page, you are sent straight to your home screen.

Messages on the sign-in page

Remember me and signing out

Remember me saves your sign-in ID in a 30-day cookie on that device. It does not keep you signed in, so you still need your password each time. Do not tick it on a shared or public computer. Always use Logout (in the top bar or sidebar) when you finish – it ends your session and clears the cookie, then shows "Your session has been securely closed."

Finding your way around Members

Every member page shares the same layout.

• Top bar – the SESTWA logo, a greeting (Karibu, your name), a Pay shortcut, Logout, and a menu button on phones.
• Left sidebar – your initials or photo, name, TSC number and a status badge (green Active or amber Pending), then the menu groups below.
• Breadcrumb – shows where you are, e.g. Dashboard › My Profile.
• Footer – quick links to About, Constitution, Leadership and Announcements, plus contact details.

Dashboard Members

Your welfare activities, contributions and account at a glance.

1. Four summary cards – explained in the table below.
2. Pay shortcut. The gold Pay / Pay via M-Pesa buttons take you straight to the Contribute page.
3. Active welfare announcements. Each row shows the type, title, due date, amount per member and your status: a Pay now button if unpaid, or a green You paid tag. View all opens the full Announcements page.
4. Export CSV. Downloads your payment history as a spreadsheet file.
5. Payment history table. Number, announcement, amount, M-Pesa reference, date paid and status (Confirmed or Pending).

My Profile Members

View and update your personal, employment and contact details.

1. Photo. Click the avatar or the file chooser, pick an image, then press Save photo. Use Remove to go back to initials.
2. Edit Profile. Switches the page into edit mode. A Password shortcut next to it opens Change Password.
3. Editable fields – see the table below.
4. Locked fields. TSC number and National ID are shown with a lock and cannot be changed by you. If they were entered wrongly, ask the Secretary to correct them.
5. Read-only summary cards. Personal, Employment, Contact, Account and Dependants (with a Manage → link).

My Dependants Members

Family members covered under the SESTWA welfare programme.

Declaring dependants lets SESTWA provide welfare support when they experience loss or hardship. Only declared and verified dependants are eligible, so declare early, before you need the support.

1. Add Dependant. Opens the form.
2. Relationship and full name are required. Relationship choices: Spouse, Child, Father, Mother, Sibling, Other.
3. Optional details. National ID or birth certificate number, date of birth and notes (for example "stepchild" or "lives with me"). Adding an ID number helps verification.
4. Save dependant. A green message confirms: "Dependant added successfully."
5. Remove. Asks for confirmation ("Remove this dependant from your welfare coverage?") and then deletes the entry.

Announcements and accountability Members

Every appeal in one place, and a transparent record of who has paid.

1. Your scoreboard. Total announcements, how many you have paid, how many are outstanding, and your running total.
2. Pay Now / You Paid / Missed. Open appeals you have not paid show Pay Now. Ones you paid show a green You Paid tag. A closed appeal you did not pay shows Missed.
3. Progress. A bar with the number of contributors out of all members and a percentage.
4. Filter buttons. Show All members, only those who have Paid, or only those Unpaid.
5. CSV and Send to group. CSV downloads the list. Send to group lets you tick members, then copies a formatted list that you can paste into the WhatsApp group to remind colleagues.

Click an announcement card to expand it and see the full message and the accountability table. Columns are: tick-box, number, Member, TSC, School, Phone, Amount, M-Pesa Ref, Date Paid and Status. A closed appeal displays "This announcement is closed. No further contributions are accepted."

Announcement types

Bereavement Medical emergency General welfare Education support Other – the type is a label that helps you scan the list; every type is paid the same way.

Paying a contribution Members

Pick an appeal, tap once, enter your PIN. Your payment is recorded automatically.

The Contribute page

1. Payment method. M-Pesa (Safaricom numbers) or Equity (any network) – use Equity if your line is Airtel or Equitel, or you prefer paying through Equity.
2. Appeal. Choose an open announcement. You can arrive here from a Pay now button, which pre-selects it.
3. Amount. Fixed by the Secretary for each appeal. You cannot change it.
4. Network and phone. Pick Safaricom, Airtel or Equitel (this matters most for Equity payments, where the portal needs to know your network), and type the phone number that will receive the prompt (07XX or 01XX).
5. Send STK Push Request. Sends the prompt to your phone. Press it once only.

After you press the button

1. Waiting screen. The progress list ticks off as the prompt is sent, you enter your PIN and the confirmation is received.
2. Auto-refresh. The page checks for the result every 5 seconds and counts down to the next check. You do not need to refresh it.
3. Your phone. A prompt shows the amount and "SESTWA". Enter your M-Pesa or Equity PIN to approve.
4. Confirmed. You get a receipt number and the payment appears in My Payments. Keep the M-Pesa SMS as your own proof.

If the prompt does not arrive

• Check your phone has network, the SIM is in the phone, and your M-Pesa or Equity line is not locked.
• Make sure you picked the right network for the number (Safaricom, Airtel or Equitel) and the right method (M-Pesa or Equity).
• Confirm the phone number has no typo, then tap Try again.
• If you press the button again within about two minutes for the same appeal, the portal reuses your pending request instead of charging twice.

Messages you may see on the Contribute page

My Payments

Your full history and everything still owed. Open it from the sidebar, the Payments link, or after a payment.

Change password Members

Protect your account with a strong, unique password.

1. Open Change Password in the sidebar (or the Password button on My Profile).
2. Enter your Current password.
3. Enter a New password. A checklist shows five tips as you type: at least 8 characters, an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number and a special character such as !@#$.
4. Repeat it in Confirm new password and press Update password. The eye icons reveal what you typed.

Admin Overview Secretary & Admin

Your control room: approve registrations, post announcements and watch contributions.

After signing in, Secretaries and Admins land here. The admin sidebar has the groups Manage (Overview, My Profile, Members, Announcements, Contribute, Payments, Accountability), Association (Leadership, Constitution, Settings) and Account (Change Password, Logout).

1. New announcement. Opens the announcement form (see Managing announcements).
2. Headline figures. Active members, pending approvals, total collected in KES and active announcements.
3. Tabs. Pending approval (with a count), Members and Accountability.
4. Row actions. Activate approves, Reject declines, Delete permanently removes the registration. Each asks you to confirm first.

Managing members Secretary & Admin

View, approve, edit and manage every member account.

1. Four counters. Total registered, Active, Pending approval, and Inactive or rejected.
2. Status tabs and search. All, Active, Pending, Inactive, Rejected, plus a search box. The table is paged; use the page links at the bottom.
3. Row actions. View (details), Edit, then one or more of Activate / Deactivate / Reject / Delete depending on current status.
4. Edit member panel. Slides in from the side.
5. Save changes applies the edit.

Member details (View)

Shows personal information (name, gender, date of birth, National ID), employment (TSC, school, position, sub-location, employment date), contact (phone, alternative phone, email), account (status, role, registered, activated, last login, total paid), then two tables: Declared dependants and Payment history.

Editing a member

What each action does

Managing announcements Secretary & Admin

Post welfare appeals and control who can contribute.

The page opens with four counters (Total announcements, Visible & open, Drafts / hidden, Closed), a search box over title, description and beneficiary, filter buttons All, Open, Closed, Drafts, Expired, and a card for each announcement showing its amount, paid / total, KES collected, deadline and a progress bar. Press New announcement to open the form below.

1. Type and affected member. Types: Bereavement, Medical emergency, General welfare, Education support, Other. The affected member is optional and names the beneficiary.
2. Title and description. The title is required; the description is optional context for members.
3. Amount and deadline. The amount is required, must be a valid number, and is the same for every member. The deadline is optional; after it passes the appeal shows as Expired in your filters.
4. Visibility. Visible to members immediately publishes it. Save as draft (hidden) keeps it private until you are ready.
5. Save announcement. You will see a confirmation, and members see the appeal straight away if it is visible.

Actions on an existing announcement

Payments Secretary & Admin

Review, confirm and record M-Pesa, Equity and cash contributions.

1. Record manual payment. Opens the form on the right.
2. Summary cards. Total collected (KES), Confirmed, Pending (STK push), Failed or cancelled, Manual payments.
3. Filters. Tabs for All / Confirmed / Pending / Failed / Manual, a search box, an announcement drop-down and a From–To date range with Apply and Clear. A ribbon shows the totals for what you are viewing.
4. Row actions – see the table below.
5. Manual payment form. Member, announcement, amount and date are required; M-Pesa reference, phone and notes are optional.

Recording a manual payment

Use it for cash collected by a school representative, or an M-Pesa transaction that the STK push never captured (for example the member paid by paybill, or the callback failed).

1. Press Record manual payment.
2. Choose the Member and the Announcement, enter the Amount and the Payment date.
3. For an M-Pesa payment, type the member's M-Pesa reference exactly as it appears on their SMS. For cash, leave it blank and a reference is generated.
4. Add the phone (otherwise the member's own number is used) and notes such as "Cash via school rep", then press Save payment.

You will see "Manual payment recorded and confirmed successfully." The payment is marked Confirmed and tagged Manual. If that member already has a confirmed payment for the announcement, you will see "This member already has a confirmed payment for this announcement." and nothing is saved, which prevents double counting.

Accountability report Secretary & Admin

The full payment status of every member across every appeal.

1. Print report / Export CSV. Print produces a clean paper copy for committee meetings or an audit. CSV opens in Excel.
2. Summary. Percentage paid, total records, paid, unpaid, KES collected and KES expected.
3. Filters. Choose one announcement (or all), then All / Paid / Unpaid, and search a member. The table shows number, name, TSC, school, phone, announcement, required amount, amount paid, M-Pesa ref, date paid and status, in pages.

Leadership and Constitution Secretary & Admin

Keep the public website's governance pages up to date.

Leadership team

Whatever you save here appears on the public Leadership page and in the home page preview.

1. Name and role. Roles available: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Committee Member, Patron.
2. Link to member account. Optional. If you link a leader to a member, their profile photo is used on the Leadership page when you have not supplied a separate photo.
3. Display order. Lower numbers appear first (the default is 99). Use 1 for the Chairperson, 2 for the Vice Chairperson, and so on.
4. Edit / Hide / Delete. Hide removes someone from the public page without losing the record. Delete asks "Remove this leader from the team?"

Constitution & By-Laws

Each version of the constitution is stored separately, so members can always read the current text and look back at earlier ones.

1. Formatting toolbar. Bold, italic, underline, bullet and numbered lists, headings (H2 for articles, H3 for sections), paragraph, and a Preview. Headings build the clickable contents list on the public page.
2. Title and version. Both required. Publish status: Published (visible to members and the public) or Draft (hidden).
3. Mark as Latest? Yes replaces the current latest version. No keeps it as an archive copy.
4. PDF attachment. Optional. Drag and drop or browse. It powers the Download PDF button on the public page.

In the list below the form, each version shows its number, a LATEST tag, Published/Draft, and PDF attached. Buttons: Edit, Publish (draft → published), Set Latest and Delete (permanent). Admins and Secretaries who open the public Constitution page are taken straight to this editor.

Settings Admin only

System-wide configuration, organised into seven tabs.

1. Seven tabs. Click a tab to switch sections.
2. Fields with a short description under each label.
3. Save changes. Saves every tab at once.

Danger zone

How payments work behind the scenes Secretary & Admin

Understanding the life of a payment helps you reconcile with confidence.

Reconciling a "paid but not recorded" complaint

1. Ask the member for the M-Pesa or Equity confirmation SMS (receipt code, amount, time).
2. Open Payments, search the member's name or the phone number. Check whether a Pending or Failed row exists.
3. Compare to your M-Pesa statement (portal or paybill report). If the receipt code and amount match there:
   • Pending row exists → Confirm it.
   • No row, or only a Failed one → Record manual payment with the exact receipt code and the original payment date.
4. Add a short note ("Callback missed; verified on statement") so the action can be audited later.
5. If the money is not on your statement, the payment did not reach SESTWA. Ask the member to try again.

Troubleshooting Everyone

Find your symptom, try the fix.

Frequently asked questions Everyone

Glossary and badge guide Everyone

Badges and colours

Active Confirmed Paid Open – good / complete  Â·  Pending – waiting  Â·  Failed Rejected Unpaid – needs attention  Â·  Inactive Cancelled Closed Draft – not in use  Â·  Bereavement / Medical emergency – announcement type labels