Safaricom has introduced a new policy aimed at increasing flexibility for its customers by lowering the minimum airtime purchase amount via M-Pesa.
As of Tuesday, September 17, Safaricom customers can now purchase airtime for as little as KES 1, down from the previous minimum of KES 5.
In a statement to its customers, Safaricom highlighted the significance of this change: “Hata shilingi ni pesa! Sasa unaweza kununua Safaricom airtime ya kuanzia shilingi moja ukitumia M-Pesa. Angalia M-Pesa balance yako na ujaribu kununua leo.”
This translates to, “Even a shilling is money! You can now purchase Safaricom airtime starting from just one shilling using M-Pesa. Check your M-Pesa balance and try buying today.”
The reduction in the minimum airtime purchase limit is seen as part of Safaricom’s broader strategy to make its services more accessible to all customers, particularly those in lower-income brackets.
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By allowing airtime purchases as low as KES 1, the company is enhancing service accessibility while also potentially boosting revenue from customers who may not regularly buy higher denominations of airtime.
Reverse Call Service Update
This announcement follows another recent change from Safaricom. In August 2024, the telecommunications giant modified its reverse call service, limiting free reverse calls to just two per day.
As of August 19, customers are now charged KES 0.50 for the third reverse call request within a day. Despite this charge, Safaricom emphasized that no additional costs would be incurred for the rest of the day.
These recent changes come as Safaricom continues to dominate the local voice market. The company’s market share rose to 65.5% in the quarter ended March 2024, up from 63.3% in December 2023.
This growth came at the expense of its main competitor, Airtel, whose share dropped to 33.96% from 36% during the same period.
However, it’s worth noting that this substantial subscriber base hasn’t necessarily translated into a proportional increase in revenues.
One significant factor contributing to this discrepancy is the widespread adoption of the reverse call option by millions of users. This feature, while popular among subscribers, has potentially impacted Safaricom’s revenue growth from its expanded user base.
