Safaricom waives M-Pesa fees in wake of Covid-19

An M-Pesa agent at work in Kenya on February 12, 2019. Safaricom on March 16, 2020 announced that it has waived M-Pesa fees for transactions below Ksh1,000 ($10). PHOTO | FILE | NMG

Kenyan telcom Safaricom has waived M-Pesa fees for transactions below Ksh1,000 ($10), the company announced on Tuesday.

On Sunday, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked banks and mobile money providers to consider reducing costs of transactions to allow customers use cashless modes of payment as part of the measures to stop transmission of Covid 19, widely known as coronavirus.

Safaricom has also increased limits per M-Pesa transaction from the current Ksh70,000 ($700) to Ksh150,000 ($1,500), and daily transaction limit from Ksh140,000 ($1,400) to Ksh300,000 ($3,000), it said in a statement.