The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) and Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) launched a mobile money interoperability initiative on April 8, 2022, allowing Airtel and Telkom users to access Safaricom's M-Pesa till numbers. However, direct paybill integration remains restricted until 2024, according to telecom executives.
The regulatory move targets Safaricom's 85.8% share of non-cash merchant payments in 2022, which has been bolstered since M-Pesa's Lipa na M-Pesa service launched in 2013. The CA and CBK emphasized that interoperability will enable cross-network transactions, including cash deposits and withdrawals at any agent location starting 2024.
While Airtel Money and M-Pesa have maintained a linked system since 2018, Telkom's integration remains limited. The CBK cited lack of interconnection among operators as a key barrier to mobile money growth, noting that 30 million Kenyans use M-Pesa, with Safaricom controlling 89% of mobile money agents.
Merchants using M-Pesa face up to 0.5% transaction fees, with Safaricom reporting Sh970.2 billion in payments processed through its platform in the year ending January 2022. The regulator's plan mirrors card payment systems, where a single terminal serves multiple banks.
An anonymous telecom official stated the initiative would provide
