KCB vs Equity Bank paybill: which is better in 2026?

KCB and Equity are Kenya's two largest banks and the two most-used send-to-bank paybills on M-Pesa. KCB's paybill is 522522; Equity's Eazzy Pay is 247247. Both move billions of shillings every month from M-Pesa to bank accounts. They're functionally similar, but the differences matter for specific use cases.

The basics

Both paybills work the same way at the M-Pesa user level. You select Pay Bill, enter the business number (522522 for KCB or 247247 for Equity), enter the recipient's bank account number, the amount, your PIN, and confirm. The recipient's bank credits the account within minutes for KCB, sometimes seconds for Equity Eazzy Pay.

From the sender's perspective, the choice between them depends entirely on which bank the recipient banks with. Send to a KCB account → use 522522. Send to an Equity account → use 247247. The destination bank cannot be different from the paybill — sending KCB paybill with an Equity account number will fail or land in suspense.

Fee comparison

Both paybills use standard M-Pesa Paybill fee brackets. Fees are essentially identical — both follow the Safaricom Lipa na M-Pesa Paybill schedule.

For amounts up to KES 100, both are free. For KES 1,000 transfers, both cost KES 10. Differences only appear in special partnerships or zero-rated arrangements that change from time to time.

Speed and reliability

Equity's Eazzy Pay system is built for instant settlement — funds typically reach the recipient's Equity account within seconds, with an SMS confirmation from Equity following the M-Pesa SMS. This is a real UX difference from sending to most other banks where there can be a 5-30 minute lag.

KCB is fast but typically takes 1-5 minutes for the credit to land in the recipient's KCB account. KCB also benefits from deeper integration with Safaricom (Safaricom holds their M-Pesa trust accounts at KCB, historically), which means edge cases are usually resolved faster.

For typical use, both are effectively instant. For time-sensitive transactions (paying someone for something happening right now), Equity has the slight edge.

Ecosystem integration

KCB integrates with M-Pesa more deeply than Equity:

• KCB-M-Pesa is a savings/lending product accessible through M-Pesa USSD (*844#) — KCB-Mpesa savings, loans, and Inua loans.
• KCB receives a slight discount on M-Pesa-to-KCB transfers from corporate clients.
• KCB ATMs accept M-Pesa Cardless Withdrawal — withdraw cash without a card by authorising via M-Pesa first.

Equity has its own deep integrations:

• Eazzy Banking app — competitive mobile banking with M-Pesa-to-Eazzy features.
• Equitel SIM — Equity Bank's own SIM card with built-in mobile money. Equitel customers can do most banking from their SIM with low fees.
• Equity One — corporate banking suite that integrates with M-Pesa for B2C disbursements.

For a typical retail customer, the integration differences don't affect day-to-day send-to-bank transactions. They matter more for businesses choosing primary banking relationships.

When KCB makes more sense

• Large transfers (KES 70,000+). KCB has had fewer reported issues with large M-Pesa-paybill transfers; settlement is reliable for amounts up to the M-Pesa daily limit.
• Recurring loan repayments to KCB — particularly KCB-M-Pesa loans, where the integrated repayment is automatic.
• Government-to-business payments. KCB handles a substantial share of government payment flow.
• If the recipient is in rural Kenya. KCB's branch and agent network extends slightly further into rural areas than Equity's.

When Equity makes more sense

• Smaller, faster transfers. Eazzy Pay's near-instant settlement is noticeably better than KCB for KES 1,000-50,000 amounts.
• If the recipient uses the Eazzy app. The mobile-first UX makes confirmation and follow-up easier.
• SME-to-employee disbursements. Many small Kenyan businesses pay staff via Eazzy Pay because of the lower per-transaction friction.
• Cross-border to East Africa. Equity has stronger same-bank presence in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC than KCB. Same-bank cross-border is faster.

Diaspora considerations

For diaspora users sending to family who bank with one or the other:

• Most major remittance providers (Wise, Sendwave, Lemfi, WorldRemit) support direct deposit to both KCB and Equity via the respective paybills.
• Wise has a slight edge for KCB transfers — mid-market FX is consistently best.
• Sendwave often has best rates for Equity transfers under USD/GBP 200.
• For very large transfers (USD 10,000+), Wise + bank rails to KCB or Equity directly is cheaper than M-Pesa paybill due to M-Pesa daily limits.

For businesses receiving via paybill

Many Kenyan businesses use the bank's send-to-account paybill rather than getting their own dedicated paybill. The trade-offs:

• Pro: instant access to funds in your business bank account, no separate merchant relationship needed.
• Con: customers see a generic paybill (522522 or 247247) rather than your business name on their M-Pesa confirmation. Less professional for branding.

For revenues under KES 200,000/month, using the bank send-to-account paybill is fine. Above that, getting a dedicated business paybill is worth the small effort and provides better branding and reconciliation.

What about other banks?

Both major Kenyan banks publish paybill numbers. See our banks sector page for the complete list. The same fee mechanics apply across all of them — your choice depends on the recipient's bank and your specific use case.