This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
Ngunjiri Wambugu Calls for Safaricom Accountability Over M-Pesa Downtime ¶
Published on July 19, 2020
Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has lashed out at telecommunication giant Safaricom over frequent M-Pesa services interruptions in recent weeks.
Wambugu said Safaricom's privately-owned status does not exempt it from being accountable to the public, especially when its services directly affect the lives of many Kenyans.
He cited a recent 12-hour maintenance that disrupted M-Pesa services, particularly on a Sunday when many Kenyans were in need of making church contributions.
"M-Pesa services are down. On a Sunday morning. When most of us are following church service online. And when anyone who wants to support their church can only M-Pesa," Wambugu said.
He emphasized the need for a legal structure to oversee Safaricom and hold it accountable, especially when its critical services go down.
Wambugu also called for a public accountability mechanism so that Kenyans can always be informed about when key services such as money transfers, calls, and messages services would be interrupted.
On July 17, Safaricom announced a planned maintenance that would disrupt services on the night of Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, between 10pm and 10am.
The company said the decision to conduct the maintenance in the 12 hours was aimed at minimizing disruptions and inconveniencing clients.
However, Wambugu argued that the maintenance should have been conducted during a less critical period, such as during the night.
He also pointed out that Safaricom had previously announced a similar maintenance plan on June 24, 2020, where the telco notified its customers of a planned five-hour maintenance plan.
