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Safaricom has announced a new privacy feature on M-PESA that will conceal the sender’s phone number during money transfer transactions, marking a significant step in the company’s efforts to strengthen customer data protection.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, March 11, by Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa, who emphasized that protecting customer information remains a central pillar of the company’s operations as the mobile money platform continues to grow and evolve.
Speaking about the update, Ndegwa noted that the new privacy measure comes as M-PESA marks 19 years since its launch, highlighting the importance of maintaining the trust of millions of users who depend on the service daily.
“As M-PESA turns 19 this month, we are reminded that the trust of our over 40 million M-PESA customers, who rely on this platform every day, is our greatest responsibility,” Ndegwa said.
He added that the confidence customers place in the platform is not only built on the reliability of the service but also on how effectively the company safeguards the personal information of those using it.
According to the Safaricom CEO, the company introduced the new feature after receiving feedback from users who raised concerns about privacy when sending money through the mobile money service.
“We have listened to customer concerns about privacy and are introducing a new enhancement that minimizes the personal information shared while conducting Send Money transactions on M-PESA,” Ndegwa explained.
Under the new system, recipients of money transfers will only be able to see limited details about the person sending the funds. The change aims to prevent unnecessary exposure of personal data while still ensuring that transactions proceed smoothly.
However, the feature will still allow recipients to access the sender’s full details if necessary. Ndegwa explained that recipients will have a 24-hour window after the transaction to request additional information from Safaricom.
“With this update, recipients will see limited details of the sender, helping to protect their privacy while ensuring transactions are completed seamlessly. If the recipient needs the sender’s full details, they can request us for them within 24 hours of the transaction,” he said.
The process will also give the sender control over whether their full information can be shared. When a request is made, the sender will receive a prompt asking them to approve or decline the release of their details.
If the sender approves the request, the recipient will receive the sender’s full name and mobile number through an SMS notification. If the sender declines the request or fails to respond within two hours, the request will automatically be rejected.
Safaricom said the privacy feature will be rolled out gradually to ensure that the update functions smoothly across the platform without disrupting services.
“We will be launching this feature by the end of this month and plan to roll it out to the rest of our entire M-PESA ecosystem in subsequent phases to ensure that our services continue to remain safe and secure for all our customers,” Ndegwa stated.
The announcement comes just a day after Safaricom clarified why some M-PESA statements display phone numbers in a partially hidden format.
In a statement issued on Monday, March 9, the company explained that the redaction of phone numbers in transaction statements is part of its compliance with data protection regulations.
“The phone numbers are redacted due to the data protection policy. Once you request a statement, an SMS is sent with the password to enable you to access the statement,” the company said.
Safaricom further explained that customers who require the full, unredacted version of their M-PESA statement must visit a Safaricom shop and present an official abstract to facilitate the request.
