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Telecommunications giant Safaricom has dismissed claims of delays in M-PESA transaction notifications, pushing back against growing customer concerns raised on social media.
The response comes after a user publicly complained about late transaction alerts, warning that the issue had already triggered misunderstandings. But in a swift rebuttal, Safaricom maintained that its systems are functioning normally.
“Kindly note we do not have delays with M-PESA messages currently. The experience may also be caused by the phone that does not show messages immediately delivered to the line,” the company said.
The clarification arrives at a sensitive time, just days after Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives arrested a suspected SIM swap fraudster linked to the theft of over Ksh450,000 from an unsuspecting victim’s M-PESA account.
According to the DCI, the suspect orchestrated a sophisticated SIM swap scheme that allowed him to hijack the victim’s mobile line and siphon funds undetected.
“Detectives from the Operation Support Unit have nabbed a cunning SIM-swap fraudster who ruthlessly siphoned Ksh450,500 from an unsuspecting victim, leaving her financial dreams in tatters,” the agency said in a statement.
Investigators revealed the victim had relocated to the United States in 2019 and enrolled in Safaricom’s Daima programme to keep her line active while abroad. The SIM remained operational until May 2024, when services abruptly ceased.
Upon returning to Kenya in December 2024, the victim discovered her SIM card had been swapped without her consent — and her expected balance of over Ksh450,000 reduced to a mere Ksh18.
Further investigations traced the stolen funds to transactions made in October 2024, allegedly transferred to a number registered under the name Oscar Livondo. A manhunt led detectives to Ngumba Estate, where the suspect was arrested and found in possession of multiple SIM cards and mobile devices.
The twin developments — customer complaints over message delays and the high-profile fraud case — have reignited concerns over mobile money security and reliability in Kenya, where M-PESA remains the backbone of daily financial transactions.
While Safaricom insists its notification systems are fully operational, the incident underscores the growing need for heightened vigilance among users, especially amid rising cases of SIM swap fraud targeting mobile money accounts.
