NAIROBI — Safaricom’s Fuliza overdraft service, a lifeline for millions of Kenyans, was disrupted on Tuesday, leaving many unable to clear their repayments.
The company confirmed the hitch in responses to frustrated users on social media, saying its technical team was already working on a fix.
“There is an issue with the repayment of Fuliza and resolution is underway,” Safaricom said in one reply. “Our team is working to resolve the same. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.”
The disruption sparked concern among customers who rely on Fuliza to complete everyday transactions. Launched in 2019 through a partnership with NCBA Bank and KCB Bank, the service allows M-Pesa users to make payments even when short of funds.
Over the years, Fuliza has become more than just a convenience. For many households and small businesses, it is an essential cushion in a cash-strapped economy. Each advance is automatically deducted from the user’s next deposit, along with interest and fees.
Safaricom did not disclose the scale of the outage or how long it might take to restore services. By late afternoon, complaints were still streaming in online, with customers urging the company to speed up the repairs.
Analysts note that Kenya’s heavy reliance on mobile money has made such disruptions particularly disruptive. “When services like Fuliza go down, the impact is immediate,” said a Nairobi-based financial consultant, who asked not to be named. “It affects everything from school fees to business supplies.”
Safaricom has in the past prided itself on the reliability of M-Pesa, its flagship mobile money platform. But outages, though rare, tend to draw swift attention given the central role the service plays in Kenya’s financial system.
For now, the company has asked for patience as it works to restore full access.
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