Safaricom has confirmed a technical glitch affecting M-PESA after customers reported failed transactions, difficulties accessing the mobile money service and funds withdrawn from M-Shwari failing to reflect in their M-PESA wallets.
The disruption left some customers stranded, with users complaining that they could not complete payments or access money needed for essential expenses, including transport fares.
In a response posted on X in the early hours of Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Safaricom acknowledged the problem and said it had escalated the matter to the relevant technical team.
“Hello Mary, we are sorry we are experiencing a system issue affecting M-PESA. Issue has been picked and shared with the relevant team,” the company said, asking customers to bear with it as efforts to restore normal service continued.
The statement followed complaints from customers who questioned the reliability of the service and demanded clear communication from the telecommunications company.
One user, identified as @SonOfMaryAtieno, said money she had transferred from M-Shwari to M-PESA had failed to appear in her wallet.
“I just withdrew money from Mshwari to mpesa and it disappeared in thin air.. What’s happening??” she posted.
She later demanded an explanation, insisting that the funds should have reflected in her M-PESA account after completing the withdrawal process.
Other customers also reported difficulties using the service. An X user identified as @till_number questioned the disruption, saying some people were unable to pay for transport.
“What exactly is happening with M-Pesa this morning? Some of us are stranded without fare! Kindly communicate instead of leaving customers guessing,” the user wrote.
The outage also sparked concern among night-shift workers who rely on mobile money to pay for transport home.
Another user, @PepeaTheMenace, questioned how workers without cash were expected to get home when M-PESA became unavailable late at night.
The user also urged Safaricom to communicate in advance if the disruption resulted from planned maintenance, saying customers should not be left unable to access their money without warning.
Safaricom did not immediately disclose the number of customers affected, the cause of the glitch or when normal services would be fully restored.
The disruption highlighted the reliance of millions of Kenyans on M-PESA for everyday transactions, including payments, money transfers and access to funds held in linked financial services.
