Safaricom’s Sambaza service and Okoa Jahazi are linked for prepaid customers, especially when airtime or data is being sent to another subscriber. The transfer can only go through if the recipient has no unpaid Okoa Jahazi balance, unless the sender agrees to clear it as part of the same transaction.
The arrangement means a customer who wants to send data bundles or airtime may also be prompted to cover the recipient’s outstanding advance credit before the transfer is completed. Safaricom has offered that option for the past five years, allowing customers to settle the balance first and then proceed with the purchase.
A typical data transfer follows the Safaricom menu on 544#. After selecting the option to view more services, the user chooses the command for sending a data bundle to another customer. If the recipient has an unpaid balance, the system then gives the sender a choice to add airtime and offset the Okoa Jahazi amount.
If the sender accepts, the process moves to the M-Pesa menu for final confirmation. The customer then enters the PIN to approve both amounts together.
Customers who do not want to clear the recipient’s Okoa Jahazi balance can cancel the transaction instead. In that case, the transfer does not proceed.
