Kenya’s mobile network operators: Telkom, Safaricom, and Airtel, have today announced that Kenyans can now make direct mobile money payments to an M-PESA Pay Bill Number from any network.
This move follows the telcos’ announcement in April this year, which saw Kenyans being able to make mobile money payments to M-PESA Buy Goods and Services Tills from any network.
The objective of the interoperability of Kenya’s mobile money service platforms is to allow Kenyans to make direct mobile money payments to any M-PESA merchant Pay Bill Number and Merchant Tills, from any network, thereby boosting the adoption and convenience of making cashless payments.
The next phase towards complete merchant interoperability will see Kenyans make mobile money payments from M-PESA to the Till and Pay Bill Numbers of the other networks: Airtel Money and T-kash.
This proposition is also in line with the principles of the National Payments Strategy, 2022 – 2025, that was launched by the Central Bank of Kenya in February this year which seeks to achieve a secure, fast, efficient and collaborative payments system that supports financial inclusion and innovations that benefit Kenyans:
1. Trust
2. Security
3. Usefulness
4. Choice
5. Innovation
Telkom customers will first be able to access this addition via USSD *160# while Airtel Kenya customers can access this service via USSD *222# or *334#
