The telco assured customers that the issue, caused by failures in the interoperability channel, has been addressed, and full functionality restored.
In a statement issued on Friday, December 12, 2025, Airtel noted that the disruption specifically affected the M-Pesa to Airtel Money transfer service.
In a statement issued on Friday, December 12, 2025, Airtel noted that the disruption specifically affected the M-Pesa to Airtel Money transfer service.
The company said its technical team was working closely with M-Pesa engineers to ensure a swift resolution and promised to notify users immediately once the service was fully operational.
“Please note that sending money from M-Pesa to Airtel Money is experiencing failures,” the announcement stated. Airtel emphasised that all other Airtel Money services remained fully operational.
“Please note that sending money from M-Pesa to Airtel Money is experiencing failures,” the announcement stated. Airtel emphasised that all other Airtel Money services remained fully operational.
Users could continue transferring money from bank accounts, depositing cash at Airtel Money agents nationwide, accessing services at KCB and Naivas outlets, and managing their accounts via the USSD code *334#.
The disruption, which lasted several hours on Friday, follows a scheduled system upgrade by Safaricom in September 2025, aimed at maintaining a secure and reliable M-Pesa network.
The disruption, which lasted several hours on Friday, follows a scheduled system upgrade by Safaricom in September 2025, aimed at maintaining a secure and reliable M-Pesa network.
The upgrade, conducted from 0:30 am to 3:30 am on 22nd September, temporarily halted all M-Pesa functions, including airtime purchases and money transfers.
Safaricom described the maintenance as essential to ensuring “always-on, safe, secure, and worry-free financial services.”
Airtel’s temporary service failure underscores the challenges of mobile money interoperability, a feature critical to Kenya’s financial ecosystem.
Airtel’s temporary service failure underscores the challenges of mobile money interoperability, a feature critical to Kenya’s financial ecosystem.
With millions of Kenyans relying on mobile money for daily transactions, cross-platform failures can have immediate effects on households, small businesses, and informal traders who depend on seamless digital transfers.
Industry observers note that interoperability between Safaricom’s M-Pesa and Airtel Money has been a focus of regulatory and technological enhancements over the past five years.
Industry observers note that interoperability between Safaricom’s M-Pesa and Airtel Money has been a focus of regulatory and technological enhancements over the past five years.
Kenya’s Central Bank has consistently urged mobile operators to ensure system reliability while expanding access, particularly for rural and underserved populations.
Despite the disruption, Airtel reassured customers that incoming transfers from M-Pesa were now restored and highlighted the robustness of the other Airtel Money functionalities.
Despite the disruption, Airtel reassured customers that incoming transfers from M-Pesa were now restored and highlighted the robustness of the other Airtel Money functionalities.
The company’s proactive communication via social media, including its official X account, helped mitigate user frustrations and provided a transparent update on ongoing technical resolutions.
“The technical teams are working on priority with M-Pesa to resolve the issue, and we will notify our users once the service is fully functional,” the company reiterated in a statement.
Mobile money remains an essential pillar of Kenya’s economy, contributing significantly to financial inclusion, digital payments, and entrepreneurial activities.
“The technical teams are working on priority with M-Pesa to resolve the issue, and we will notify our users once the service is fully functional,” the company reiterated in a statement.
Mobile money remains an essential pillar of Kenya’s economy, contributing significantly to financial inclusion, digital payments, and entrepreneurial activities.
Airtel’s swift resolution of the outage will be closely watched by consumers and regulators, who continue to emphasise uninterrupted access as a key service standard.
The incident comes amid other developments in Kenya’s tech and business landscape. Safaricom and Airtel have both announced ongoing improvements to their digital platforms, including system upgrades and enhancements aimed at increasing transaction security.
The incident comes amid other developments in Kenya’s tech and business landscape. Safaricom and Airtel have both announced ongoing improvements to their digital platforms, including system upgrades and enhancements aimed at increasing transaction security.
These upgrades are critical, given the increasing reliance on mobile financial services for daily commerce, government payments, and social transfers.
Airtel Kenya’s quick response highlights the importance of operational resilience and customer communication in the mobile money sector.
Airtel Kenya’s quick response highlights the importance of operational resilience and customer communication in the mobile money sector.
While the outage caused temporary inconvenience, the company’s collaborative approach with M-Pesa and prompt public updates demonstrate a commitment to maintaining trust and reliability for millions of users nationwide.
The resolution of this issue is expected to restore confidence in the interoperability framework, ensuring that users can continue sending and receiving money across platforms without disruption, and supporting Kenya’s broader digital economy ambitions.
The resolution of this issue is expected to restore confidence in the interoperability framework, ensuring that users can continue sending and receiving money across platforms without disruption, and supporting Kenya’s broader digital economy ambitions.
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