Safaricom has removed transaction charges on business till payments of Ksh 500 or below, effective 7 August 2026, under a new customer proposition called Pata More.
The change was detailed during a webinar hosted by KICTANet on 27 August as part of the EmpowerHer SheConnects Digital Accelerator, a project funded by CARE International that trains women micro entrepreneurs in Nairobi, Tana River and Nyandarua counties.
Norah Owako, Senior Manager, Growth M-Pesa Merchant Payments, who leads merchant payments, and Gakenia Gathura, Safaricom Manager – Business Development & Growth presented the update to an audience of more than 100 women digital champions, county coordinators and small business owners.
Under the previous fee structure, Safaricom charged merchants 0.55 percent on every till transaction above Ksh 200. Under Pata More, that charge no longer applies to payments of Ksh 500 or below. The 0.55 percent rate still applies to transactions above that threshold. Safaricom has also capped the maximum charge on money sent out of a till at Ksh 54, regardless of the transaction size.
“It’s now more affordable for you to be able to receive payments. Up to 500 shillings, customer payments that you receive on your till are now free,” Owako Mbaya said.
| Pata More till charges | Detail |
|---|---|
| Payments of Ksh 500 or below | Free |
| Payments above Ksh 500 | 0.55 percent per transaction |
| Maximum charge on outgoing payments | Ksh 54 |
| Effective date | 7 August 2026 |
| Cost to open a till | Free, national ID required for individuals |
Safaricom also addressed confusion in the market over pricing for opening a till account. Owako Mbaya said tills carry no setup fee and require only a national ID from individual applicants, or a KRA pin from registered companies. She said reports of agents charging around Ksh 200 to open a till are false.
On the difference between a till and a paybill, Owako Mbaya said the paybill option passes the transaction charge to the customer, while the till option charges the merchant. She said Safaricom zero rated paybill charges for customers during the COVID 19 pandemic and saw uptake rise, but usage shifted back to tills once charges resumed. “Most times we found that many businesses came back to the till because they wanted to keep their customer,” she said.
Separately, Gathura addressed complaints from participants that mobile data bundles deplete faster than expected. She said background app updates running over mobile data, along with extended use of video heavy platforms, are common causes.
She advised users to set app updates to Wi Fi only. Eric Kivasu, also of Safaricom, said users often leave apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook running in the background without closing them, which continues to consume data. Safaricom has introduced longer validity data bundles under Pata More.
The EmpowerHer SheConnects program aims to reach 15,000 women micro entrepreneurs through a training model in which 300 women digital champions each train 50 women in their communities.
KICTANet said the webinar was the first in a monthly series with Safaricom, with the next session scheduled to cover credit, wealth and investment products.
For further coverage of Safaricom and Kenya’s mobile money sector, see Khusoko, including its reporting on Safaricom’s consolidated M Pesa app.
