Competition in the mobile money service sector in Kenya has increased with the launch of an international remittance service that mainly targets the South Sudanese population.
A product of m-GURUSH, South Sudan’s pioneer mobile money service provider, the service allows people to send and receive money from South Sudan and other parts of the world.
“The service will be particularly beneficial to the South Sudanese living in East Africa who will now be able to receive money using the existing mobile money services such as M-Pesa in Kenyan and MTN Mobile Money in Uganda,” Jamal Wani Abdalla, Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, said during the launch of the service.
Registered users can deposit money in a recipient’s money wallet as well as their bank accounts.
The service can be accessed by dialling *355# via the Zain network or downloading the m-GURUSH app from the Google Play Store.
South Sudan boasts one of the highest numbers of foreigners in the country largely fueled by years of fighting in East Africa’s youngest country.
According to the World Bank, South Sudan received the highest remittance inflows in EAC between 2013 and 2018 after Kenya and Uganda.
“This international remittance offering will be highly beneficial especially to the business community trading between South Sudan and her sister East African member states, including ordinary South Sudanese sending funds to friends and family in East Africa,” Joseph Arinaitwe, Vice President m-GURUSH, said.
The telco’s entry into international remittance service comes amidst the Covid-19 pandemic that has highlighted the need for cashless transfer as a safer way of financial transactions.