Safaricom has revised the cost of running a Pochi La Biashara account, as anyone paying into a Pochi till will now pay a maximum transaction fee of KES 50, regardless of the amount involved. That is down from the previous ceiling of KES 108.
Merchants who transact directly from their own Pochi wallet get the same relief, with their maximum charge also capped at KES 50.
The old fee structure hit harder as transaction amounts rose. A trader receiving a KES 5,000 payment could lose over KES 100 to charges before touching the money. Under the new cap, that same trader loses at most KES 50, more than half the previous cost on larger payments.
Beyond the fee cut, Safaricom is bundling Pochi with a handful of financial tools that push it closer to a full business account rather than just a payment till.
Taasi Pochi gives merchants access to credit tied to their Pochi transaction history, the same logic Safaricom already applies with Fuliza, where M-PESA activity doubles as a credit file.
Tuunza Mapato adds insurance against income disruptions. Ziidi Pochi lets users save and grow money within the wallet. Ofa ya Pochi throws in tailored data bundles for active users.
READ: Pochi La Biashara Is Becoming the Default Payment Tool for Informal Traders
The less flashy but more useful upgrade is in record-keeping. Every payment into a Pochi till is now logged separately from personal M-PESA transactions, addressing a common problem for small traders who mix business and personal money and lose track of their actual earnings over a week or month.
Cleaner records also help if a merchant later applies for credit elsewhere, since a documented cash flow history strengthens that application.
To access Pochi La Biashara, customers can use Lipa na Pochi on My OneApp or dial *334# for the USSD route, which is still the default for merchants without smartphones or reliable data.
