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You can now make direct payments from Airtel Money or T-Kash straight to an M-PESA pay bill number. Leading telcos Telkom, Safaricom, and Airtel made the announcement today.
This move follows the previous 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. This milestone builds on the person-to-person interoperability that was implemented in 2018.
Reacting to the announcement, the Central Bank of Kenya in a statement said that, “full interoperability will facilitate the deepening of digitalisation of payments, increasing choice, affordability and customer-centricity of payment services.”
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:
- Trust
- Security
- Usefulness
- Choice
- Innovation
Telkom Kenya’s CEO, Mugo KIBATI lauded the development saying“the announcement made today, on Pay Bill interoperability, brings us closer to realising a cashless economy, further enhancing a seamless digital transactions ecosystem that gives the consumer more convenience and choice. Our customers will first be able to access this exciting addition via USSD *160#.”
Safaricom’s CEO, Peter NDEGWA celebrated the initiative saying, “this innovation extends even more convenience to customers and businesses, transforming M-PESA into a one-stop solution to send and receive money and payments from any financial service locally, and our global partners.”
Commenting on the move, Airtel Kenya’s new CEO, Ashish MALHOTRA said, “we are excited to be part of this change that seeks to provide Kenyans with an affordable, convenient and secure cashless payments platform that will provide more options that empower customers as they go about their day-to-day economic activity. Our customers can access this service via USSD *222# or *334#.”
The telcos made this announcement at the Muguga Green Primary School, where they each made a payment of KSh. 300,000 into the school’s Pay Bill number from their spokesperson’s respective mobile money wallets. The money, KSh. 900,000, will be used by the school to meet some of its operational needs for the second school term of the year.
