All M-pesa services to be unavailable as Safaricom announces system upgrade

Giant telecommunications Safaricom PLC has announced a planned M-Pesa system upgrade scheduled to take place on Monday, September 22, 2025, from 12:30 am to 3:30 am.

According to the company, the three-hour maintenance window is intended to enhance service reliability, security and performance across the M-Pesa platform.

“For 18 years, M-Pesa has continued to transform lives across Kenya, connecting you, our customers, to opportunities every day. To support this and meet our promise to offer always-on, safe, secure, and worry-free financial products and services, we will be conducting a scheduled system upgrade on Monday, September 22, 2025 from 12:30 am to 3:30 am,” Safaricom said.

During the upgrade period, all M-Pesa services, including airtime purchase, will be temporarily unavailable.

Safaricom emphasised that the timing of the upgrade has been carefully selected to minimise disruption and has apologised in advance for any inconvenience caused.

Safaricom also extended its appreciation to customers for their continued support, reaffirming its commitment to providing transformative digital and financial solutions.

Customers are advised to plan their transactions accordingly before the scheduled maintenance window.

Earlier in the year, Safaricom launched celebrations to commemorate 18 years since the official launch of M-Pesa.

By empowering over 32.1 million customers to transact, save or borrow money through their mobile phones, M-Pesa has driven financial inclusion in Kenya to 83.7 per cent in 2021 from a low of 26.7 per cent in 2006 and generated over Sh139.9 billion in revenue as of 2024.

M-pesa is currently available in more than 170 countries globally, serving over 70 million customers.

The mobile financial services provider has grown to over one million businesses and agents in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ghana and Egypt.