Relief for M-PESA Users as Safaricom Slashes Pochi and Buy Goods Charges

Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecommunications company, has slashed M-PESA charges for Pochi la Biashara, Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods, and Business Till transfers.

The revised tariffs, announced on Friday, July 31, 2026, are expected to lower the cost of accepting and managing digital payments while supporting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In a statement, Safaricom said the changes align with the Central Bank of Kenya’s pricing principles of customer-centricity, transparency, fairness, competition, and affordability.

“These changes have been introduced to make digital payments more affordable while aligning with the Central Bank of Kenya’s pricing principles on customer-centricity, transparency, fairness, competition and affordability,” the statement said.

Pochi la Biashara customers to enjoy free payments up to Ksh 200

Safaricom said Pochi la Biashara customers will enjoy lower transaction charges for 90 days, from August 1 to October 31, 2026.

Also Read: Safaricom Explains How to Get Rid of Flash Messages After Making a Call

Under the revised tariff, customers paying merchants through Pochi la Biashara will not pay any transaction charges for payments of up to Ksh 200.

Transactions above Ksh 200 will attract the following charges:

Transaction Amount (Ksh)	Customer Charge (Ksh)
1 – 200	0
201 – 500	7
501 – 1,000	13
1,001 – 1,500	23
1,501 – 2,500	33
2,501 – 250,000	50

The company said the temporary tariff review is aimed at encouraging more customers and businesses to adopt digital payments.

Buy Goods free collection limit increased to Ksh 500

Safaricom has also revised tariffs for Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods, with the new rates taking effect on August 7, 2026.

The company has increased the free collection threshold from Ksh 200 to Ksh 500, meaning businesses will not pay collection fees on payments of up to Ksh 500.

Collections above Ksh 500 will continue attracting a 0.55% fee, capped at Ksh 200.

Collection Amount (KSh)	Old Tariff	New Tariff
0 – 200	Free	Free
201 – 500	0.55%	Free
501 – 36,363	0.55%	0.55%
Above 36,363	Ksh 200	Ksh 200

The increase in the free collection threshold means merchants can now receive more low-value customer payments without incurring collection costs.

Business Till transfer charges reduced by up to 50%

Safaricom further announced that businesses using M-PESA Business Till will benefit from up to 50% lower charges when transferring funds from their tills to an M-PESA account or a PayBill account.

Also Read: Safaricom Unveils New Updates to My OneApp

The revised Pay to Mobile and Pay to PayBill transfer tariffs will also take effect on August 7, 2026.

Pay to Mobile transfer charges

Transaction Amount (KSh)	Old Charge	New Charge
0 – 50	0	0
51 – 100	0	0
101 – 500	7	4
501 – 1,000	13	7
1,001 – 1,500	23	12
1,501 – 2,500	33	17
2,501 – 3,500	53	27
3,501 – 5,000	57	29
5,001 – 7,500	78	39
7,501 – 10,000	90	45
10,001 – 15,000	100	50
15,001 – 20,000	105	53
20,001 – 30,000	108	54
30,001 – 250,000	108	54

Pay to PayBill transfer charges

Transaction Amount (KSh)	Old Charge	New Charge
0 – 50	0	0
51 – 100	0	0
101 – 500	5	3
501 – 1,000	10	5
1,001 – 1,500	15	8
1,501 – 2,500	20	10
2,501 – 3,500	25	13
3,501 – 5,000	34	17
5,001 – 7,500	42	21
7,501 – 10,000	48	24
10,001 – 15,000	57	29
15,001 – 20,000	62	31
20,001 – 25,000	67	34
25,001 – 30,000	72	36
30,001 – 35,000	83	42
35,001 – 40,000	99	50
40,001 – 45,000	103	52
45,001 – 250,000	108	54

The new Pochi la Biashara tariffs took effect on August 1, 2026, while the revised Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods and Business Till transfer charges will come into effect on August 7, 2026.

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