Safaricom has officially announced the largest M-PESA upgrade since 2015, scheduled to take place on Monday, 22nd September 2025. The company says the maintenance is part of its mission to keep M-PESA at the forefront of digital financial services in Africa.
The upgrade will occur between 0:30 AM and 3:30 AM, during which all M-PESA services will be temporarily unavailable. Customers attempting transactions during this period will receive the following message:
“Dear Customer, M-PESA is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance and cannot process your request now. We’ll notify you once services resume. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Why This Upgrade Matters
M-PESA, now in its 18th year, has revolutionized financial access in Kenya — powering everything from personal money transfers to small business transactions. Safaricom says this upgrade is the biggest leap in capacity and technology since the 2015 platform migration.
The new system is designed to:
- Double transaction capacity to 8,000 transactions per second by 2026
- Deliver faster processing speeds, even during peak hours
- Strengthen platform reliability and security
- Provide a robust foundation for future fintech innovations
What Businesses & Users Should Do
Safaricom has urged partners and businesses to complete any outstanding reversal requests or pending transactions before the scheduled upgrade, as they will be cancelled if not processed by the time migration begins.
This is especially important for businesses that rely on M-PESA PayBill, Buy Goods, or API integrations for daily transactions.
Minimal Inconvenience, Maximum Impact
While a short downtime is unavoidable, Safaricom has scheduled the maintenance during late-night hours to minimize disruption for customers and businesses.
“We have planned this maintenance to cause minimal inconvenience. We apologize for any disruption and thank you for your continued support,” the company said in its official partner notice.
The Bigger Picture
This system upgrade underscores Safaricom’s commitment to building a more secure, resilient, and future-ready M-PESA platform. As Kenya continues to embrace a cashless economy, this move ensures M-PESA remains the backbone of digital payments — powering e-commerce, lending, remittances, and more.
For additional support or clarification, partners can contact their account manager or email [email protected].
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