Glossary term
Site Agent
A site agent is the person who runs a construction site day to day on behalf of the contractor. They manage labour, materials, safety and progress, and usually approve the muster roll and wages.
On many sites the contractor is elsewhere and the site agent is in charge. The agent sets the day's work, checks who turned up, and stands between the plan on paper and the building going up.
Updated October 17, 2026 · Glossary
What a site agent does
A site agent or site manager controls the day-to-day running of a project: allocating fundis to tasks, ordering materials, watching safety and keeping the work on programme. They answer to the contractor or project manager and report on cost and progress.
The site agent and the muster roll
Attendance usually lands on the site agent's desk. They know which gang turned up, who left early and who is new. When attendance is digital, the agent's job shifts from writing the book to reviewing exceptions and locking the day before payroll runs.
Why the role carries payroll risk
If the site agent records attendance loosely, ghost names and inflated days creep into Friday's wages. A digital muster roll gives the agent a clear, timestamped picture and leaves a record of who approved it, which protects the agent as much as the contractor.
Frequently asked questions
Is a site agent the same as a foreman?
They overlap but differ in scope. A foreman drives a specific gang or trade, while a site agent oversees the whole site, including several foremen, materials and safety.
Does the site agent approve wages?
On most Kenyan sites the site agent compiles or verifies attendance and recommends the payroll, while the contractor approves and funds it. A digital roll records both the review and the approval.
How does FundiPay help a site agent?
It gives the agent a live attendance view instead of a paper book, and a clear exception list to review. Once the day is locked, payroll is built from the same record the agent approved.
Keep reading
Solutions
For Site Agents & Payroll Officers
Reconcile attendance, approve payroll and keep every statutory return in order — the site agent's control tower for wage cost.
Solutions
For Foremen
Check in the crew, lock the day's attendance and end arguments about who worked — the foreman's tool that protects payroll.
Glossary
Muster Roll
The daily attendance record of every worker on a construction site — the document payroll is built from.