Safaricom has introduced significant changes to its services, lowering the minimum airtime purchase on M-Pesa to KES 1 and revising charges for reverse calls. The changes were communicated to customers via SMS on Tuesday, September 17.
In a move set to benefit millions of low-income customers, Safaricom announced that users can now buy airtime for as little as KES 1 through M-Pesa. The telco had previously set the minimum purchase limit at KES 5. Safaricom’s message read, “Hata shilingi ni pesa! Sasa unaweza kununua Safaricom airtime ya kuanzia shilingi moja ukitumia M-Pesa,” which translates to “Even one shilling is money! Now you can buy Safaricom airtime from as low as one shilling using M-Pesa.”
This decision aligns with Safaricom’s strategy of increasing accessibility to its services, particularly for customers in rural areas or those with limited financial means. The move allows more people to stay connected with friends, family, and essential services, even with minimal funds.
Safaricom also made an important announcement regarding its reverse call service. Effective immediately, the company will impose a KES 0.50 charge on users who make more than two reverse calls per day. The company stated, “This service will be free to the initiator of the reverse call for up to two requests in a day. Subsequent reverse call requests made within the day will be charged an access fee of KES 0.50.”
The fee is aimed at preventing misuse of the service, as the company noted some users were requesting reverse calls even when they had sufficient airtime.
