Safaricom surprises customers with cash back following M-Pesa downtime

 

Safaricom, the leading communication company in East and Central Africa, has shed light on its decision to send money to a select group of customers on Thursday, January 11, 2024.

The move, aimed at rewarding clients affected by an M-Pesa downtime on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, was unveiled after a curious customer sought an explanation for the exclusive offer.

“@Safaricom Care hamjaniekea kakitu mimi… (You did not send me anything),” inquired @nchoprivate on X (formerly Twitter).

In response, the company clarified that the ‘award’ was specifically intended for M-Pesa users who encountered challenges during the technical glitch on the mentioned Tuesday.

“Hello Ncho, the offer is available only to customers who were affected by yesterday’s (referring to Tuesday glitch) Mpesa downtime and did the transaction later. ^PN,” read the company’s response.

Throughout Thursday, January 11, a section of Kenyans took to X, questioning the nature of Safaricom’s offer deposited into their M-Pesa accounts.

The offers, ranging from Sh150, Sh100, to Sh20, prompted Kenyans to express their inquiries and sometimes disbelief.

“What is Mpesa Offers? Ni kama wanatuma Kabej…” questioned @David_ _ _Mbugua, who received Sh100 at 10:47 AM.

@MseewaNduthi also confirmed receiving Sh100 at 11:47 AM, questioning, “What the heck is Mpesa offers, and mbona wamenitumia pesa (Why have they sent it to me)?”

@Shirley_Sein, perplexed by receiving Sh20 instead of Sh200, wondered, “What or who is MPESA offers? Why are they giving me 20 bob? Mimi surely na hii miaka yangu yote (Surely, at my age, they send me such an amount of money)?”

On Tuesday, Kenyans expressed frustration online due to an M-Pesa downtime that affected customers attempting transactions through the mobile money transfer platform. Although Safaricom had not issued a prior notice, a social media-engaged client was informed that they were experiencing “a technical issue affecting M-PESA.”

By Sammy Waweru