Safaricom Explains Why It Can't Relay M-Pesa Transaction Details After Customer Complained Of Theft

• An M-Pesa customer raised concerns after she was robbed and her money sent to unknown numbers, and Safaricom failed to issue a detailed statement
• The telco noted that M-Pesa statements do not disclose all transaction details in adherence to data privacy regulations
• Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, Safaricom explained that part of the phone numbers in the statement are concealed for privacy

TUKO.co.ke journalist Wycliffe Musalia has over five years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting and offers deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

Safaricom PLC has defended its move to conceal some M-Pesa statement details due to its data privacy policy.

This followed an outcry from a customer who was robbed, and the money in her M-Pesa wallet was sent to unknown numbers.

Which M-Pesa statement details does Safaricom conceal?

The leading telecommunications firm explained to TUKO.co.ke that M-Pesa statements do not show all transaction information due to data privacy regulations imposed by the Data Protection Act of Parliament.

This information includes three digits of the mobile number receiving money from the sender.

"Unfortunately, we do not disclose all the information on an M-Pesa statement. We usually mask part of the mobile number digits as per the Data Privacy Act," said Safaricom.

According to Safaricom's data privacy policy, any disclosure of personal data shall be in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Who gets access to your data from Safaricom?

However, the telco reviews each application for information and may decline to provide it to the requesting party.

The information can only be relayed to law enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities, Safaricom partners, fraud prevention units, CRBs and emergency service providers, among others.

Safaricom can also disclose the information to restricted government databases to verify your identity information in order to comply with regulatory requirements.

"If through a court order, the party requests for data to aid investigations, we will be in a position to disclose the information," Safaricom assured, in response to TUKO.co.ke.

What Safaricom advised robbed M-Pesa customer

The telco advised the lady to report the theft to the nearest police for legal assistance to get the information.

"We understand your frustration regarding the issue you've experienced, and we sincerely apologize. Please liaise with the police for further assistance," said Safaricom.

The company added that the Data Privacy Act applies to all entities, both public and private, and should be adhered to.

How to avoid losing money if your M-Pesa SIM is stolen

Safaricom unveiled an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code that its users can dial and whitelist their mobile phone numbers.

This followed reported incidences of SIM Swap fraud, which saw thousands of M-Pesa customers lose money.

The code, *100*100#, locks the subscriber's number so no one else can replace it from any agent shop without their knowledge.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke