Safaricom has been forced to explain after the Lipa na Mpesa payment feature went missing from the SIM Toolkit menu causing a huge outcry among users.
The feature which does not require any use of the internet has been a feature of convenience to many small scale traders who were hugely affected raising questions into the effects of overdependancy in one company’s infrastructure.
The outcry was first reported on social media as many other Kenyans confirmed experiencing the same issue where they were prompted back to the main menu upon clicking the feature. This forced many to rely on the transfer and withdrawal services of the kit.
- Diesel prices to drop further after President Ruto’s directive
- President Ruto to address the nation amid fuel price strike
In a country where transactions are majorly done through Safaricom, the issue affected many till payments for the better part causing doubt if truely the system is flawless and will not cause a major setback on time. Those affected were forced to withdraw the cash to complete the transaction.
Responding to the issue, Safaricom attributed the issue to usage of old generation sim cards which are limited to 1000-byte storage system.
Accoridng to engineers, the memory limits the use of advanced features that are memory intensive to accomodate the new features and security patches.
Safaricom has since advised those affected to visit the nearest Safaricom care centre for sim card replacement to the 3000-byte sim cards capable of handling the super app features.
Users of Safaricom are therefore advised to use the #334# USSD or download the app for ease of transaction as the telecom giants work towards migrating their services.
