Safaricom Explains Why It Can Use Your Bonga Points to Repay Okoa Jahazi Debt

A social interaction between Safaricom PLC and one of its clients has sparked discussions about the ownership and usage of Bonga Points, following the telecom giant’s justification for the deduction of Bonga Points from a client’s account to settle an outstanding Okoa Jahazi debt.

The controversy came up after Movin Amboka took to LinkedIn to express his frustration over the deduction of his Bonga Points for the settlement of a debt he claimed to have incurred from Kopa, amounting to Ksh 60.

Addressing Safaricom publicly, Amboka demanded an explanation while warning that he could pursue legal action if the matter was not satisfactorily addressed.

“I am writing to seek an explanation regarding the deduction of approximately Ksh 60 worth of my Bonga Points to repay a Kopa debt without my knowledge or consent. Kindly explain the legal and contractual basis upon which this deduction was made and provide the specific terms and conditions that authorized it,” Amboka enquired.

“To the best of my knowledge, I did not consent to my Bonga Points being used in this manner.If this matter is not satisfactorily resolved, I reserve the right to pursue all available legal remedies and to escalate the complaint to the relevant regulatory authorities for investigation,” Amboka added.

Safaricom cites Okoa Jahazi terms

Responding to the complaint, Safaricom maintained that the recovery of Bonga Points follows the terms governing the Okoa Jahazi airtime advance service.

“Hello Movin, Okoa Jahazi repayment period is within 5 days. If the debt is not cleared after 15 days, Bonga Points available are used to settle the debt,” Safaricom PLC replied.

Also Read: Safaricom Confirms New Ownership Structure After Vodafone Kenya Deal

Safaricom’s published Okoa Jahazi Terms and Conditions state that subscribers are expected to repay any airtime advance within 120 hours (five days).

If the debt remains unpaid after that period, the company may recover the outstanding balance from the customer’s available resources, including airtime, minutes and Bonga Points.

Customers with debts outstanding for more than a week also receive payment reminders.

Understanding Bonga Points

Bonga Points is Safaricom’s flagship customer loyalty programme launched in 2007 to reward subscribers for continued use of eligible services.

Customers accumulate points through qualifying voice calls, SMS usage, mobile data consumption and selected purchases made on the Safaricom network.

Subscribers can redeem Bonga Points for airtime, data bundles, SMS bundles, smartphones, accessories, shopping vouchers at participating merchants and other promotional offers depending on prevailing programme rules.

Eligible users may also transfer points to other Safaricom subscribers.

Also Read: Why Designing Financial Products for Women Is Paying Off for Safaricom

Why Would the Company Use Bonga Points in Recovering the Unpaid Debt?

It might come as a shock, but the use of Bonga Points to settle the Okoa Jahazi debt is not something unusual.

The firm made an announcement in 2023 regarding the implementation of such a measure aimed at collecting unpaid airtime advances when clients fail to repay within the required time.

Thus, starting that moment, the debts not repaid within 15 days will be recovered using Bonga Points.

In accordance with the Okoa Jahazi terms, the debt can be repaid via multiple ways: airtime top-up, M-PESA, Sambaza, direct bank top-up, scratch cards and Bonga Points.

Upon expiration of the repayment period, the company has the right to recover the debt using the available resources of the client.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for instant news updates

A photo collage of a phone displaying the bonga points page interface and Safaricom brand product bonga points advert. PHOTO/ File