List Of Businesses That Were Badly Affected By 1-Hour M-Pesa Delay

• Safaricom experienced delays in its mobile money service, M-Pesa, for the better part of Tuesday, January 9
• More than 30 million M-Pesa customers were unable to complete transactions for about an hour
• This saw many businesses using the Lipa Na M-Pesa services and those relaying other M-Pesa services halt transactions

TUKO.co.ke journalist Wycliffe Musalia brings over five years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

Safaricom mobile money service M-Pesa experienced delays for the better part of Tuesday, January 9.

Safaricom PLC acknowledged the delay and apologised to customers, saying it is working to solve the issue.

More than 30 million M-Pesa customers making payments via the platform remained stranded for about an hour before the service was restored.

Businesses around the country counted losses as most customers were forced to cut short the transactions following the delays.

Most of these businesses are those that deal in fast-hand and movable goods and services.

Below is a list of businesses hit by the one-hour M-Pesa delay.

1. Restaurants and fast-food businesses

Most fast-food business operators and restaurants depend on cashless transactions, mostly done via Lipa Na M-Pesa services.

The delay in M-Pesa for one hour saw some customers who had ordered food fail to pay on time, thus affecting the smooth flow of operations.

@jkaugi1 noted:

"For some, it is life or death on that extreme. I am on a stopover with a long-distance travel matatu, eating lunch, no cash, bill must be paid, gari haitangoja nilipe, M-Pesa or not, other passengers not cooperating, any help I can get is through Mpesa!

2. Matatu, digital taxi and boda boda business

Most public service vehicles (PSVs) and digital-hailing taxis have embraced digital payments via M-Pesa.

The delay saw most matatu operators hold operations as most passengers were unable to pay.

Boda boda riders and digital taxi drivers also halted operations as they waited for the customers to make alternative payments.

3. Delivery services

Drivers and riders delivering products door-to-door also felt the impact of the delay in M-Pesa payment services.

"I’m stuck with a rider now coming to 20mins because M-Pesa is not working."

The delivery service providers were forced to wait as passengers made alternative payments, thus missing out on other orders.

4. Schools, book shops

Most schools reopened today for the 2024 academic calendar, as parents took the opportune time to buy books, uniforms and pay school fees.

Long queues were spotted in various bookshops and school administration offices as parents tried to make payments via M-Pesa to no avail.

5. Supermarkets, other retail shops

Supermarkets and other retail shops experienced long queues following the one-hour M-Pesa delay.

Most shops that utilise Lipa Na M-Pesa services found it difficult to cancel customer transactions, forcing them to wait for alternative payments.

This disrupted operations across the country, leading to thousands of losses in sales volume.

Kenyans question the viability of M-Pesa

The delayed transactions and disruptions in M-Pesa services prompted an influx of comments and reactions on social media.

Several individuals emphasized the inconvenience, particularly given M-Pesa's essential role in daily financial transactions countrywide.

The incident sparked conversations regarding the dependability of digital financial services and underscored the necessity of carrying cash.