How to Replace Safaricom Line Without Original Pin

You may want to replace your Safaricom line if has gotten lost, stolen or when you're upgrading it to a 4G SIM card.

If you have the old SIM card with you, replacing the SIM card can be easily done on your own by swapping it with a replacement line bought from an M-PESA shop.

One is however required to provide the SIM's PIN during the swapping process. This may not be possible as it's very likely you have long forgotten the SIM Pin and don't have with you the SIM Card holder which has these PIN/PUK details printed.

Nevertheless, you can still replace your SIM by contacting Safaricom customer care and providing details that will confirm you're the owner of that line.

Step 1: Buy a Replacement SIM

Before you can contact the customer care, first go to an M-PESA agent near you and buy a Safaricom replacement SIM Card. The card will cost you between KSh.50 or KSh.100 depending on where you purchase it.

After buying it, record the line's serial number that's printed on the back side of the SIM Card holder.

Step 2: Contact Safaricom Customer Care

You can reach Safaricom customer care either through calling or via their social media handles.

By Calling

For calling, just dial 100 or 234 on your old line or another Safaricom line and follow the steps to talk with a representative.

In case you don't have a Safaricom line to make the above call with, you can reach customer care using other networks (Airtel Kenya, Telkom etc.) by calling 0722 002100. Normal call rates will however apply in this case


Via Twitter
Go to the Safaricom Care Twitter page and send them a direct message.

Step 3: Confirm Ownership of the Line to be Replaced

Once you get hold of a customer care agent, explain to them you want to replace your SIM card but cannot remember your PIN.

The agent will then ask you to provide the following details to confirm your identity and ownership of the old/lost line:

• Full Names
• ID Number
• The last amount topped up (either directly or via M-PESA)
• M-PESA Balance
• Your most recent M-PESA transaction from your end e.g. amount sent and to who (transactions for receiving may not be accepted)

If you pass all the above questions, the agent will the ask you to provide the serial number of the new SIM Card.

After doing this you'll be instructed to restart your phone and wait until the old SIM loses network its network before inserting the new SIM. On the other hand, if your SIM card is lost you only have to wait until the new SIM gets the network.

This could take anything from a few minutes to a few hours to complete. So be patient.

Step 4: Activate M-PESA on New Line

Once the old SIM has lost its network, insert the new SIM into your device and enter the PIN printed in the SIM card holder when prompted to.

First you may want to confirm the new SIM is using your old Safaricom number. After doing that, you can activate your M-PESA account by doing the following:

1. Open the SIM Menu/Toolkit and select M-PESA then Activate or Wezesha.

2. Enter the M-PESA Pin you were using with the old line as the start key.

3. Next enter your new PIN and confirm it. Note if you wish to continue using the old pin just re-enter it in this step.

4. Finally enter your ID number or your date of birth in the format DDMMYYYY (e.g. 1st December 1975 becomes 01121975).

Your M-PESA account should be reactivated after some few minutes or hours. Meanwhile you'll receive an SMS from M-PESA confirming your balance and your M-Pesa Secret Word.

How to Get the New NTSA Smart Driving Licence

The National Transport and Safety Board (NTSA) started rolling out the new generation smart driving licenses in April 2018.

The new digital driving licenses look almost similar to the National ID and contain personal data including one's Blood Group.

Also included in the licence is an electronic chip which holds the driver’s information including a point system which will be used to track traffic offences committed by the driver. Along with this, is a digital wallet that is meant to facilitate paying fines on committing offences.

The point system will however be activated only after 80% of all driving licenses are smart.

Some reports indicate that the deadline for acquiring the new driving licenses is 2022 however this information cannot be substantiated at the moment of this writing.

Meanwhile, all Kenyan drivers can apply for the Smart licenses online on the Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS) Portal as detailed below.

How to Apply for the Smart Driving Licence on TIMS

Example of  a Smart Driving Licence

1. Go to the NTSA TIMS site and register for an account if you don't yet have one. Otherwise log in with your details.

Note:

• When registering for an account, the ID Serial Number is NOT the same as your ID number. The serial number is printed opposite to the ID Number on your ID.
• Your Mother's Maiden Name and KRA PIN will be required during registration.
• If you get "The PIN doesn't exist" error when you try to verify your KRA PIN, NTSA advises you visit one of their offices near you for assistance.

2. After logging in, go to the menu and click to open the Driving Licence item.

3. Click the Smart DL Appointment button.

4. Next enter your ID Number, phone number and KRA PIN.

5. You'll now be required to select an appointment centre along with the the date and time you'd wish to reserve in order that an NTSA officer can confirm your details. Available slots will be in white while those in red are already booked.

Some of the appointment centres include NTSA Offices in the following locations:

• Nairobi - NTSA Head Office in Upper Hill
• Nairobi - Motor Vehicle Inspection Centre, Likoni Road (Industrial Area)
• Nakuru - Motor Vehicle Inspection Centre along Nakuru Ravine Road near Show Ground junction
• Mombasa -  Imaara Building, 1st Floor, on Dedan Kimathi Avenue opposite Pandya Memorial Hospital
• Kisumu - Swan Centre, 1st floor
• Kisii - Umoja Plaza, KRA Building
• Machakos - Naivas Building, KRA offices
• Eldoret - Motor Vehicle Inspection Centre along Police Line Road
• Thika - Thika House building, 1st roundabout to Thika from blue Post Hotel, Nkuruma street
• Nyeri -  Regional Commissioners complex Nyeri, block C, third floor, Opposite Nyeri Law Courts

6. Complete the reservation and print the appointment slip.

7. On the reserved day, visit the NTSA office chosen and verify your details on TIMS with a NTSA officer.

8. Once the details are verified you'll be required to pay KSh.3050 via M-PESA to apply for a smart driving license valid for 3 years.

A passport photo, signature and blood group will also be recorded along with other biometric data.

9. Your application will now be complete and your new driving license should be ready for collection within 3 days or so.

Kenya's New Driving License Categories and Classes

In 2018, NTSA rolled out new rules for driving schools, driving instructors and issuance of driving licenses in accordance with the updated Traffic Act.

This included a new driving curriculum that aims at improving road safety along with the roll out of the new Smart Driving Licences.

The rules define new driving license categories that specify the class of vehicles that a licence holder can drive. This new classification includes more vehicle categories compared to the old driving license and comes with stricter requirements.

The categories are divided into 7 groups: A, B, C, D, E, F & G. Categories A to D are further subdivided into different classes while categories E to G define special driving classes.

Below is a list of tables of all the new categories along with their descriptions and minimum requirements.

NTSA Driving License Categories

Category A	Description	Requirements
A1 Moped	Enables one to ride a motorcycle of up to 50cc No passengers allowed to be carried. No loads No passenger Minimum age of 16 years	Minimum age of 16 years
A2 Light motorcycle	Enables one to ride a ride motorcycle above 50cc Can carry a maximum load of 60 Kg (for up to 400cc) Can carry a passenger	Minimum age of 18 years
A3 Motorcycle taxi Couriers Three wheelers (e.g Tuk-tuk)	Enables one to ride a motorcycle above 100cc Can carry a maximum load of 100 Kg (for up to 50cc) Can carry a passenger	Minimum age of 21 years 1 year riding experience of category A2

Category B	Description	Requirements
B1 Light Vehicle	Enables one to drive a light vehicle (passenger car) with a maximum Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 3500 kg with one light trailer (not exceeding 750 kg) Can drive a vehicle equipped with both a manual or automatic gearbox Can carry up to a maximum of 7 passengers	Minimum age of 18 years
B2 Light Vehicle Automatic	Enable one to drive a light vehicle (passenger car) with an automatic gear box and a maximum Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 3500 kg with one light trailer (not exceeding 750 kg) Cannot drive a vehicle equipped with a manual gearbox Can carry up to a maximum of 7 passengers Minimum age of 18 years	Minimum age of 18 years
B3 Professional	Enables one to drive a light vehicle (passenger car) with a maximum Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 3500 kg with one light trailer (not exceeding 750 kg) Equipped with a manual or automatic gear box Can carry up to a maximum of 7 passengers Minimum age of 21 years	Minimum age of 21 years

Category C	Description	Requirements
C1 Light Truck	Enables one to drive a light truck with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) exceeding 3500 kg and a maximum of 7500 kg with maximum one light trailer not exceeding 750 kg Equipped with manual or automatic gear box	Minimum age of 22 years
C Medium Truck	Enables one to drive a heavy truck with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) exceeding 7500 kg with maximum one light trailer not exceeding 750 kg Equipped with manual or automatic gear box	Minimum age of 24 years Two years’ experience of driving category C1 Required to undergo training
CE Heavy Truck with trailer	Enables one to drive a heavy truck with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) exceeding 7500 kg with a heavy trailer or semi-trailer Enables one to drive articulated vehicles (i.e. a vehicle with two or more parts that are connected so that they can move in different directions at the same time) Equipped with manual or automatic gear box	Minimum age of 28 years Four years’ experience of driving category C Required to undergo training and retesting for category CE
CE Heavy Goods Vehicle For Transportation of Hazardous Materials	Enables one to drive a heavy truck with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) exceeding 7500 kg with heavy trailer or semitrailer. Enables one to drive articulated vehicles Equipped with a manual or automatic gear box	Minimum age of 30 years Two years’ experience of driving category CE Required to undergo training and retesting for category CD

Category D	Description	Requirements
D1 Van	Enables one to drive a van with a maximum of 14 passengers. Equipped with manual or automatic gearbox	Minimum of 22 years
D2 Mini-bus	Enables one to drive a bus with 14 to 32 passengers Equipped with manual or automatic gear box	Minimum age of 25 years Minimum experience of 3 years driving category D1 Required to undergo training and retesting for category D2
D3 Large Bus	Enables one to drive a bus with 33 or more passengers Equipped with manual or automatic gear box	Minimum age of 30 years Minimum experience of 3 years driving category D2 Required to undergo training and retesting for category D3

Category E	Description	Requirements
Special professional driving license	Enables one to drive any vehicles classified under categories C1, C, CE, D, Dl, D2, D3 and licensed as EC1, EC, ECE, ED, ED1, ED2 and ECD3 respectively Class ED2 licenses shall be endorsed for classes Dl & D while Class ECE License shall be endorsed for C and C1	Minimum age of 21years Completed 3 months driving practice with any vehicle classified under categories C1, C, CE, D, D1, D2, D3 and licensed as EC1, EC, ECE, ED, ED1, ED2 AND ECD 3 respectively Class ED2 Licenses shall be endorsed for class D1 and D while Class ECE Licenses shall be endorsed for C and C1

Category F	Description	Requirements
Special Driving License for Persons with Disability (PWD)	Enables one to drive a vehicle depending on the category the PWD is trained on	Minimum age of 18 years Requirement is as per the class the categories of abled drivers

Category G	Description	Requirements
Industrial construction and agricultural plants equipment	Enables one to operate forklift, motor grader, shovel, excavator, roller and any other special kinds of plant and equipment for which special authorization is required from the authority as defined in the Traffic Act before such plants can be registered for use.	Endorsement for class G will be done on the driving license.

How to Replace Kenyan Passport with the New e-Passport

After protracted delays, the government finally rolled out the new generation e-Passports in September 2017. These new digital passports bear an electronic chip making them more secure.

In adition to this, the passport bears the East African Community title on the front face of the booklet and will have a new passport number.

Initially, the government had ambitiously set to have all the old passport holders upgrade to the new e-passport in two years (i.e. August 2019). However, this deadline has been pushed to 2020 after a directive by the Deputy President citing the fact that only a fraction of Kenyans had acquired the new passport.

If you're yet to upgrade or wish to renew your expired passport to the new type, here's how to go about it.

How to Apply for Passport Replacement Online on eCitizen

1. Go to the e-Citizen portal and log into your account. If it's your first time register for a new account. On the other hand, if you've forgotten your eCitizen account password reset it

2. Once you're logged in, open the Department of Immigration Services page by clicking the Get Service button.

Immigration Services

3. Click on the Make Application button then on the next page expand the KENYAN PASSPORT section and select Passport Application for Adult.

Passport Application for Adult

4. On the next page scroll down below the instructions and click the APPLY NOW button.

5. Next fill the online form carefully with accurate details. On Step 2 select your Application type as Replacement.

Application Type

6. At the end of the form select your mode of payment and pay the required fees.The passport charges are determined by the type of passport.

The following is the fee structure:

PASSPORT TYPE	FEES (KSH)
32 Pages Ordinary "A" Series	4,550
48 pages Ordinary "B" Series	6,050
64 Pages Ordinary "C" Series	7,550
Diplomatic passport (48 page)	7,550
Mutilated Passport	10,050
Lost Passport	12,050

You can pay using the following eCitizen payment options:

• Lipa na M-Pesa Paybill
• Airtel Money
• Credit or Debit Cards
• E-Agent (eCitizen Agents)
• EazzyPay
• MobiKash
• Cash Payments to KCB Bank
• Cash Payments to Equity Bank

7. After paying, download your application form and the invoice (receipt). Print the form and 3 copies of the invoice.

8. All that's left now is for you to submit the application form in person to an immigration office in one of the following locations:

• Nairobi at Nyayo House
• Mombasa
• Kisumu

During the submission carry with you the requirements below.

Requirements for Replacement of Old Passport with e-Passport

You'll need the following to complete the application process:

1. A duly filled and printed application form
2. 3 copies of the eCitizen invoice
3. Copy of your birth certificate
4. Original ID and copy
5. Copy of Recommender's ID
6. Original and Copies of the last two pages of the current passport
7. 3 passport sized photos

Note:

• Senior citizens above the age of 60 are exempt from the birth certificate requirement.
• A recommender can be a religious leader, a legal practitioner such as a lawyer, an established civil servant or bank official that knows the applicant but is not an immediate relative.
• The passport photos are listed as a requirement but digital photos are captured during submission along with the taking of fingerprints.

Waiting Period to Get the New e-Passport

The official statements from the immigration department indicate that it takes 5 working days for passport replacements.

The 5 days duration however has proved to be unrealistic and many applicants indicate the waiting period for replacement takes on average between 2 to 4 weeks.

To avoid longer waiting periods ensure the details filled in the application form are correct.

How to Apply for Passport Replacement if Abroad

Those in diaspora are to apply for the new passports at embassies or consulates nearest them. At the time of this writing this seems yet to be functional in all embassies and some have been forced to travel in back into the country to get replacements.

The immigration department has however indicated that it plans to roll out the application in the following embassies:

• Washington DC in USA
• London in UK
• Paris in France
• Berlin in Germany
• Pretoria in South Africa
• Dubai in UAE

How to Apply for a Kenyan e-Passport

The e-Passport is a new type of passport that's was introduced by the government in late 2017 to phase out the old passports. Also known as a biometric or digital passport, the main difference between it and the old generation passport is that it has an electronic chip making it more secure.

The chip holds one's biometric information including the information that is usually printed on the passport's data page (names, date of birth, fingerprints etc.). The chip can therefore be used to verify the identity of the passport holder at automated e-Passport gates rather than having it physically inspected by an officer.

The passport also bears the East African Community title on the front page which was not present on the old passport. As such the passport is actually an East African Passport.

All first time applications for passports as well as those replacing their old ones are to be done on eCitizen. Manual applications are no longer being accepted.

Apply for a Passport on eCitizen

East African Community Passport

Step 1: Fill Application Form

1. Go to eCitizen and log into your account. If it's your first time using the portal, create a new account first. If you've cannot remember your eCitizen password, you can reset it.

2. After logging in, click the Get Service button inside the Department of Immigration Services.

Dept. of Immigration Services

3. Next click on the Make Application button then on the following page expand the KENYAN PASSPORT section.  Below this select either the Adult or Children application if you're applying for a child below 18 years.

Type of Application

4. On the next page read the instructions carefully then click the APPLY NOW button.

5. Now just fill the online form carefully in the provided six steps. In Step 2 make sure to select your Application type as New.

New Application

6. In Step 8 select your mode of payment and pay the required fees. The passport fees are determined by the type of passport as shown in the table below.

PASSPORT TYPE	FEES (KSH)
32 Pages Ordinary "A" Series	4,550
48 pages Ordinary "B" Series	6,050
64 Pages Ordinary "C" Series	7,550
Diplomatic passport (48 page)	7,550
Mutilated Passport	10,050
Lost Passport	12,050

You can then use one of the following payment options:

• M-Pesa
• Airtel Money
• Credit or Debit Card
• E-Agent (eCitizen Agent)
• EazzyPay
• MobiKash
• Cash Payment to KCB Bank
• Cash Payment to Equity Bank

7. Once your payment is verified, download and print your application form along with 3 copies of the invoice (receipt).

Step 2: Submit Form to Immigration Office

You'll now have to submit the application form and the invoice copies in person to an immigration office in one of the following locations:

• Nairobi at Nyayo House
• Mombasa
• Kisumu

Fingerprints and digital photos of you will be taken during the submission. During the submission carry with you the following additional requirements:

1. Original and Copy of Birth Certificate
2. Original ID and copy
3. Original and Copy of Parent's National ID Cards
4. Copy of Recommender's ID
5. 3 passport sized photos
6. A consent letter if the applicant is a child
7. For applicants that are adopted: original adoption certificate, clearance letter from the children’s department and/or the court ruling or award

A recommender can be a religious leader, a legal practitioner such as a lawyer, an established civil servant or bank official that knows the applicant but not an immediate relative.

You'll now have to wait until when you'll be informed that the Passport is ready for collection. The official waiting period given by the immigration department is 15 days however it could take longer.

Buy Discounted Airtime and Bundles using Teleshop Kenya

Teleshop Kenya is a new entrant in the mobile payment segment that focuses on airtime and other mobile product purchases like bundles and SMS. It works much like Mula, another mobile payment service that caters for bill payments in addition to airtime purchases for all the major networks in Kenya.

However, the similarities end there as Teleshop exclusively deals with discounted airtimes rather than just facilitating a means of topping up using M-PESA.

This is great as you not only get to buy airtime at a discounted rate but also get to top up your Airtel and Telkom numbers using your M-PESA account.

On top of this you don't incur any transactional charges that are normally charged when you buy airtime for other networks using paybill numbers.

Discounted Offers  that are Available

Discounted Safaricom Airtime

The availability of discounted items you can buy will vary depending on the network. Currently Safaricom has more discounted items compared to the other networks.

The discounts range between 14-15% and up to 17% off the original price. Some of the discounted items available for purchase include:

1. Safaricom

• Airtime 
• Normal Data Bundles
• Safaricom Giga Bundles
• Flex Bundles
• SMS Bundles
• Safaricom All-In-One Bundles (Data Bundle + Minutes)

2. Airtel

• Normal Data Bundles
• UnlimiNet Bundles

3. Telekom

• Airtime

New customers get a Ksh5 Safaricom Airtime at Ksh1 (80% off) as a welcome gift and daily offer. This is a good way to test the service if you've doubts about using it.

How to Buy Discounted Airtime and Bundles using Teleshop Kenya

1. Visit the Teleshop Kenya Site on your mobile or desktop browser.

2. In the homepage you'll find some discounted offers listed.

If you need network specific offers, open the corresponding shop in the menu. On mobile you'll have to click the Menu button to reveal the options.

3. Next, click to open an offer you'd want to purchase e.g. Safaricom 100 Airtime for Ksh85

4. In the offer page, open the CLICK HERE TO BUY button to proceed.

5. After doing this, the item will automatically be added to your cart. At the bottom of this page, click the Proceed to checkout button.

6. In the next page enter your billing details which includes:

• Your names and email address
• The M-PESA number you want to complete the transnational with
• The number you want to be loaded with the airtime or bundle (could be a different number or the same number you're buying with)
• A note about the transaction (this is optional)

7. After you've entered the above details, choose your payment method. Currently there are two:

• Pay for your order online - pays using your M-PESA account
• My Wallet

Choose the first option and click the Place Order button.

8. You'll be given instructions on how to complete the transaction in this page. To do that:

i. Go to your M-PESA menu > Lipa na M-PESA > Buy Goods and Services
ii. Enter the till number 846498
iii. Enter the amount in your cart
iv. Enter your PINto complete the transaction

9. You'll then receive the normal M-PESA SMS confirming the amount has been paid to Bizpoint Kenya.

You should shortly afterwards receive an SMS confirming the package you ordered.

Give Teleshop between 2-5 minutes to process and fulfil your order. If the SMS takes longer than this, first confirm by checking your airtime or bundle balance.

If still it hasn't arrived, you can get help by contacting Teleshop by calling 0702953838 or via their contact page.

Manage your Teleshop Account

The details entered during the checkout (name & email) will be used to set up your account which you can access by going to the Client Area in the menu.

You can complete setting this account by:

• creating a password,
• setting up billing address defaults to use when checking out i.e M-PESA number to buy with,  phone to up etc
• check your order history
• delete Account

Faiba4G USSD Short Codes

The following is a list of Faiba4G ussd codes that you can use to access various services and manage your account.

Service	USSD CODE	Function
Main Menu	*111#	Main Menu to access all the services available on Faiba4G
Balance Check	*131#	Checks the account balance of the line
Buy Bundles	*544#	For buying data bundles for your Faiba4G account
Sambaza	*140#	Transfer (sambaza) your airtime to another Faiba4G number
Phone Number	*130#	Check your Faiba4G phone number
Customer Care	100	Dial this number to contact Faiba4G customer care

How to Withdraw Money from PayPal to M-PESA

PayPal is one of the most common payment methods used online. For a long time now, most Kenyans working online have had to rely on Equity bank and some middlemen services to get access to their PayPal funds locally.

However, thanks to the partnership between Safaricom and Transfer-To (now DT One/Thune), users can now conveniently withdraw money from their PayPal accounts straight into their M-PESA accounts.

Through this service, the funds are automatically converted into the local currency (KES) and deposited into one's M-PESA account after two hours or a maximum of 3 days.

With that said, only amounts in USD ($) can be withdrawn using the service however PayPal does provide means to convert funds in a different currency to USD.

The service is also not free and includes a charge that we'll see later in the article.

Transfer Money from PayPal to M-PESA

1. First things first, you have to link your PayPal account with your M-PESA account.

2. After doing that, go to the PayPal M-PESA page and on your top right, click the Log In button to sign into your PayPal account.

3. After logging in, click the Withdraw from PayPal button.

Withdraw from PayPal

4. Next you'll be shown the current available balance in your PayPal account. Below it enter the amount in USD (United States Dollars) to withdraw then click the Continue to Withdraw button.

Available PayPal Balance in USD

Note:

• You can withdraw a maximum of Ksh70,000 per transaction. As such, convert your amount to KES using the current exchange rates to ensure you've not gone past this limit.
• Your M-PESA account can only hold a maximum of Ksh100,000. Plan your transactions accordingly to ensure you don't exceed this limit.
• Only amounts in USD can be withdrawn using the service. To withdraw amounts in a different currency, first convert the funds to USD by going to your Manage Currencies section inside your PayPal account.

5. In the next page you'll be prompted to confirm the withdrawal.

The amount to be withdrawn will have been converted to KES and the exchange rate used will be shown as well as tthe amount of time it will take to process the transaction e.g. 2 hours.

Exchange Rate and Processing Time

Click the Confirm button to continue.

6. Finally you'll get a confirmation message that your withdrawal request has been successfully recorded and will be processed within a specified duration.

You'll also receive an SMS from Safaricom confirming the processing of the transaction.

Processing SMS from Safaricom

7. Now you only have to wait the specified time to get SMS's from Safaricom and M-PESA confirming the money has been received. 

PayPal to M-PESA Transaction SMS

Meanwhile you can view the status of your transaction by clicking the Transaction History link that's on the PayPal M-PESA site's menu.

View Transaction History

If you don't receive your funds after the specified time, you can get help by contacting the Transfer-To customer service.

In the message include your transaction ID (available in the Transaction History page) and your email address.

Fees Charged for PayPal to M-PESA Withdrawal

TransferTo charges a 3% conversion fee for the amount withdrawn.

This conversion fee is subtracted from the exchange rate used to convert the USD amount to KES and NOT the amount being withdrawn. The exchange rate shown when confirming the withdrawal has the conversion fee already subtracted.

Let's take a look of sample transaction to help you understand better how this works.

Example of a Transaction

Let's assume you're withdrawing $20 USD to your M-PESA and the current exchange rate is: 1 USD = 100.20 KES

Amount in KES: 20 x 100.20 = 2,004
Conversion fee: 3/100 x 100.20 = 3.006
Exchange rate used for transfer: 100.20 - 3.006 = 97.194
Amount sent to M-PESA: 20 x 97.194 = 1,944
Fee Charged: 2004 - 1944 = 60

Based on this, it would seem that Equity's PayPal service fees are slightly lower compared to those of Transfer-To/Safaricom.

How to Link PayPal with M-PESA

In 2018, Safaricom in partnership with PayPal and TransferTo (now DT One/Thune) launched service that links one's PayPal account with their M-PESA wallet.

The service provides two essential money transfer functions:

• Withdrawing money from your PayPal account into your M-PESA account
• Topping up your PayPal wallet using M-PESA

This service is therefore quite a lifesaver for the thousands of Kenyans that work online as freelancers or those that buy goods and services using PayPal. Previously, some had to resort to using middlemen for withdrawal as Equity bank was the only reputable institution providing PayPal services.

Before you can use this transfer service, you're required to link your PayPal account with your Safaricom M-PESA number. This is only takes a few minutes and thereafter you can begin using the service.

Link PayPal Account with Safaricom M-PESA Account

1. First Sign up for a PayPal account if you don't have one. If you've one already, go to the PayPal M-PESA site and click on the Get Started button then log into your PayPal account.

Note:

• If you had already logged in using that computer, your account will be displayed for you to log in. If it's not your account or the one you intend to link, make sure to log it out first.

Get Started

2. Next enter your Safaricom M-PESA number and click the Link your accounts button. The phone number may be auto-filled for you if you've it already saved inside your PayPal's account settings.

3. A confirmation code will be sent to your Safaricom number via SMS. Enter this 4-digit code in the next window and click the Confirm button.

4. You'll now get a conformation message that your PayPal account has been linked to your M-PESA. Click the Start using the service button to withdraw from PayPal to M-PESA or to top up your PayPal account using M-PESA.

If you encounter problems linking your accounts, you can get help by contacting the TransferTo customer service.