Safaricom Launches Shiriki Pay: Controlled Shared M-PESA Spending

By Magdalene Wanja - Reporter

Kenya, 28 January 2026 - Safaricom is rolling out a new M-PESA feature called Shiriki Pay, aimed at making shared spending more convenient while maintaining strong user control.

The feature allows an account holder to grant another person limited authority to spend directly from their M-PESA wallet, without handing over full account access.

Shiriki Pay is available through the M-PESA App, SIM Tool Kit, and the My Safaricom App, ensuring accessibility across both smartphone and feature phone users.

The feature is designed to function like a digital debit card. Shiriki Pay enables authorised users to make payments only to approved merchants, within limits set by the account holder.

The account holder retains full oversight, with the ability to set spending caps and monitor all transactions in real time. This setup eliminates the need for repeated fund transfer requests while preserving financial control and accountability.

The service operates between two registered M-PESA users: the Account Holder, who owns the wallet and grants access, and the Authorised User, who is permitted to spend. Once authorised, the user can pay merchants directly from the account holder’s wallet through Lipa na M-PESA channels, including Buy Goods, PayBill, and Pochi la Biashara merchants.

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Shiriki Pay is expected to appeal to a wide range of use cases. Parents can give children controlled access to money, students can manage their own spending more responsibly, and small business owners can allow employees to make real-time purchases without delays. It also offers practical support for households, enabling domestic workers to pay bills and buy groceries, and provides couples with a structured way to manage shared expenses.

Account holders can revoke access at any time, although transactions that have already been completed cannot be reversed. Safaricom reserves the right to suspend or terminate access in cases of suspected fraud, security concerns, incomplete verification, or where required by law. Notably, Shiriki Pay is limited strictly to merchant payments. It does not allow cash withdrawals or person-to-person transfers, reinforcing its role as a controlled spending tool rather than a full wallet-sharing solution.