Thousands of Kenyans are raising alarm after unexplained deductions were made from their M-Pesa accounts, with telecommunications giant Safaricom PLC attributing the incident to a “system issue” linked to its Fuliza overdraft service.
The controversy erupted over the weekend when lawyer Eric Muriuki publicly accused the company of making unauthorized withdrawals from his account. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Muriuki shared a screenshot of his exchange with Safaricom customer care, showing the company admitting it had failed to bill him correctly for Fuliza usage between February 26 and March 20, 2026.
The correction, Safaricom said, resulted in a KSh 60 deduction from his account — applied without prior notice or a detailed breakdown.
“I don’t believe you. This is theft,” Muriuki wrote, adding that Kenyans’ money was no longer safe with the telco. His remarks quickly gained traction online, triggering a wave of similar complaints.
Flood of Customer Complaints
What began as a single complaint soon snowballed into a nationwide outcry. Dozens of M-Pesa users reported similar deductions, ranging from as little as KSh 27 to over KSh 1,300, all attributed to alleged Fuliza arrears within the same three-week period.
Writer and commentator Beatrice Wanjiru described the situation as “a huge scandal,” noting that some affected users claimed they had never activated Fuliza, while others insisted they had already cleared their balances.
Many users reported receiving no advance notification, only SMS alerts after the deductions had already been made. Others pointed out that the messages referenced a broad date range, making it difficult to verify specific transactions.
“They can’t even pinpoint the exact date,” one user posted, echoing a frustration shared widely across social media.
Safaricom’s Explanation Raises Questions
In response, Safaricom acknowledged a technical fault that disrupted the billing of daily Fuliza fees during the period in question. The company said it had applied a one-time “catch-up” adjustment across affected accounts and assured customers that no further deductions would follow.
However, the explanation has done little to quell public anger.
Critics have questioned why the adjustments were made without prior notice or itemised statements, and how individuals who claim never to have used Fuliza were included in the deductions.
Equally concerning is the lack of transparency. Safaricom has not disclosed the total amount recovered, the number of affected accounts, or how individual charges were calculated — leaving many to question the integrity of the process.
Pattern of Controversies
The Fuliza deductions controversy is the latest in a string of disputes involving Safaricom’s mobile money platform.
In February 2026, Nairobi businesswoman Eunice Nganga filed a constitutional petition challenging Safaricom’s policy of using erroneously sent M-Pesa funds to settle third-party Fuliza debts.
Nganga’s case stems from a 2024 incident in which she accidentally sent KSh 2,700 to the wrong number. Safaricom declined to reverse the transaction, instead applying the funds to clear the recipient’s Fuliza balance — a move she argues is unlawful. The case is currently before the High Court.
Earlier, in 2023, a class-action suit filed by three M-Pesa users accused Safaricom and its partners, including Vodafone Group, of operating Fuliza in a manner akin to unlicensed banking and mismanaging customer funds held in trust accounts. The case remains ongoing.
Bonga Points Fraud Adds to Crisis
Compounding the situation, Safaricom also confirmed reports of unauthorized Bonga Points transfers over the same weekend. Customers reported waking up to find their loyalty points depleted through transactions carried out in the early hours of the morning without their consent.
The company acknowledged “irregularities” in the system and said investigations were underway.
The coincidence of both incidents — involving the removal of customer value without authorization — has intensified scrutiny of Safaricom’s systems and internal controls.
Regulatory Pressure Mounts
The unfolding crisis has renewed calls for intervention by regulators, including the Communications Authority of Kenya and the Central Bank of Kenya.
Lawmakers have also previously expressed frustration with Safaricom’s failure to appear before parliamentary committees, particularly on issues relating to data protection and service delivery.
Analysts warn that the scale of Fuliza — which processes millions of micro-transactions daily — means even small discrepancies can translate into significant aggregate sums when applied across millions of users.
Erosion of Public Trust
For many Kenyans, M-Pesa is not just a payment platform but a financial lifeline, handling everything from rent payments to school fees and business transactions.
The latest controversy has therefore struck at the heart of public trust in one of the country’s most critical financial systems.
Consumer advocates are now urging affected users to file formal complaints with regulators, arguing that collective action may be the only way to compel accountability.
As pressure mounts, the key question remains whether Safaricom will provide full transparency on the deductions, or whether the incident will become yet another unresolved chapter in Kenya’s growing list of digital finance disputes.
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