Telkom Kenya’s mobile money product T-Kash has been around since 2018. It was launched after the telco axed Orange Money, following changes in the ownership of the company that was previously called Orange Kenya.
T-Kash competes with the likes of Airtel Money and M-PESA, but it does not come close to the numbers that the two command.
For instance, T-Kash has only 8K mobile money agents as per sector statistics published by the CA for Q2 2021/2022. This is not near 22K and 260K agents serving Airtel Money and M-PESA, respectively.
Furthermore, T-Kash value of customer-to-business transfers stood at KES 86 million for the same period. Airtel Money’s value was KES 1.3 billion, whereas M-PESA led the group at KES 1.3 trillion.
Still, Telkom Kenya has not given up on its mobile money product.
A few months ago, it launched the T-Kash app that works in a similar manner to the M-PESA app.
The telco also added other utility services to the tool to include features such as data and voice purchases, effectively meaning that the T-Kash app can be used to access most Telkom Kenya services. It also makes the future of the My Telkom app look grim.
Today, we have learned that the app has received an important update: now, customers can authenticate T-Kash transactions using biometrics (fingerprint scanning). This is similar to what the M-PESA app does, and it also means that you do not need to punch in your PIN to complete a transaction.
However, you still cannot access the app using biometrics just like in the M-PESA app.
At the same time, you need to explicitly allow the feature to work, else you will still need to enter your PIN when transacting on T-Kash.
After you have updated the app, go to Profile > You Account > Use Biometrics to authenticate, and then toggle it on.
T-Kash, alongside Airtel Money and M-PESA, can now be used for till payments (not paybill) interchangeably following lobbying by the CBK.
Sooner, mobile money customers will be able to deposit or withdraw cash from any mobile money agent in what has been termed a move to elevate other mobile money products in a market that is mostly led by M-PESA.
T Kash may also be in the process of launching a mobile loan service named T-Kash Loan.
