M-PESA Introduces Store Number to Address Wrong Agent Withdrawals

Recently, M-PESA customers have been inquiring about the purpose of a “store number,” which they are required to input when withdrawing money from an agent. This store number has been in use for some time and adds an additional step for customers using withdrawal services.

What is its importance and why was it introduced in the first place?

The issue of customers entering the wrong agent number when withdrawing money from an agent has occurred in the past. This results in the funds being reflected on an incorrect agent, meaning the customer does not have access to that cash. The customer must then contact Safaricom customer service to reverse the funds, which can take time and may not be timely in emergency situations.

According to Safaricom, the store number aims to solve this problem. It is a new feature added to the agent withdrawal process that aims to prevent incorrect agent withdrawals. Customers and merchants are now required to enter both the Agent Number and the Store Number when withdrawing funds at an agent outlet. This ensures that the store number and agent number match before the withdrawal process can be completed.

While this does add an extra step to the withdrawal process, it does address the issue of incorrect withdrawals.

In other news, Safaricom now allows customers to withdraw cash using Fuliza. When the product was launched in 2019, it only had two use cases: paying bills and sending money to friends, family, or enemies. In 2021, Fuliza introduced the ability to purchase airtime as well, which was a handy addition as customers had previously resorted to using third-party paybill numbers for this purpose. Additionally, Fuliza has new rates which were introduced by the end of 2022.