Fuliza True Cost 2026: Access Fee, Daily, Excise

Fuliza costs 1 percent up-front plus a daily maintenance fee that varies by band, plus 20 percent excise on the daily fee. For a KES 5,000 Fuliza cleared in 3 days, you pay a KES 50 access fee, three daily fees of KES 25 each (KES 75), and KES 15 excise on those daily fees. Total finance charge: about KES 140. If the same KES 5,000 sits outstanding for a full 30 days, the total finance charge rises to about KES 950.

How Fuliza is priced

Every Fuliza drawdown has three cost components:

Access fee. 1 percent of the drawdown, one-off, charged when Fuliza engages.
Daily maintenance fee. A flat shilling amount per day based on the band your outstanding balance sits in. Bands 2 and 3 have a 3-day grace period before the fee starts.
Excise duty. 20 percent of the daily maintenance fee, applied every day the fee is charged.

The 2026 Fuliza daily fee band table

Outstanding balance	Grace period	Daily fee (KES)	Excise 20% (KES)	Total per day (KES)
KES 1 to 100	No daily fee	0.00	0.00	0.00
KES 101 to 500	3 free days	2.50	0.50	3.00
KES 501 to 1,000	3 free days	5.00	1.00	6.00
KES 1,001 to 1,500	None	18.00	3.60	21.60
KES 1,501 to 2,500	None	20.00	4.00	24.00
KES 2,501 to 70,000	None	25.00	5.00	30.00

Worked examples

Example 1: KES 500 Fuliza cleared in 2 days

Access fee: 1 percent of KES 500 = KES 5. Daily fee: KES 500 sits in the KES 101 to 500 band with 3 free days, so no daily fee accrues. Excise: nil. Total cost: KES 5.

Example 2: KES 1,200 Fuliza cleared in 5 days

Access fee: 1 percent of KES 1,200 = KES 12. Daily fee: KES 1,200 sits in the KES 1,001 to 1,500 band, no grace, so 5 x KES 18 = KES 90. Excise: 20 percent of KES 90 = KES 18. Total cost: KES 120.

Example 3: KES 5,000 Fuliza cleared in 3 days

Access fee: 1 percent of KES 5,000 = KES 50. Daily fee: KES 5,000 sits in the KES 2,501 to 70,000 band, no grace, so 3 x KES 25 = KES 75. Excise: 20 percent of KES 75 = KES 15. Total cost: KES 140.

Example 4: KES 5,000 Fuliza sitting for 30 days

Access fee: KES 50. Daily fee: 30 x KES 25 = KES 750. Excise: 20 percent of KES 750 = KES 150. Total cost: KES 950. The same KES 5,000 on M-Shwari for 30 days costs KES 450 (9 percent). Fuliza is more than twice as expensive when held for the full month.

Example 5: KES 50,000 Fuliza cleared in 7 days

Access fee: 1 percent of KES 50,000 = KES 500. Daily fee: 7 x KES 25 = KES 175. Excise: 20 percent of KES 175 = KES 35. Total cost: KES 710.

The effective APR problem

Because Fuliza is priced per day, its effective annualised rate rises sharply when you hold small amounts for a long time. A KES 500 balance held for 30 days beyond the grace period costs KES 90 in fees on a KES 500 principal, or 18 percent per month, roughly 216 percent annualised. Fuliza is designed for hours-to-days, not weeks-to-months. Every extra day inflates the effective rate.

For the annualising method behind these numbers, see the paybillke effective APR guide.

When Fuliza is actually cheap

You need to close a single M-PESA transaction now and money lands tomorrow (1 to 2 day hold).
Amount is under KES 500 and clears inside the 3-day grace window.
You do not want the CRB overhead a 30-day facility carries at the underlying bank.

When Fuliza is expensive

You are rolling a balance week after week. The daily fee never stops.
You need more than KES 5,000 and expect to hold longer than 3 days. A 30-day M-Shwari or KCB M-PESA loan is cheaper per KES.
Every incoming M-PESA is being eaten by Fuliza and you never see salary or trade credit clear.

Sources

Safaricom PLC. Press release, Safaricom, NCBA and KCB Restructure Fuliza with Free Daily Fees (safaricom.co.ke/media-center-landing/press-releases/safaricom-ncba-and-kcb-restructure-fuliza-with-free-daily-fees). Verified 30 August 2026.
Safaricom PLC. Fuliza M-PESA product page (safaricom.co.ke/main-m-pesa/m-pesa-services/credit-and-savings/fuliza-mobile). Verified 30 August 2026.
Excise Duty Act, 2015. 20 percent excise applied to fees on financial services.

FAQ

How much does Fuliza cost per day?

It depends on how much you owe. Under KES 100 is free. KES 101 to 500 is free for 3 days then KES 2.50 per day. KES 501 to 1,000 is free for 3 days then KES 5 per day. KES 1,001 to 1,500 is KES 18 per day. KES 1,501 to 2,500 is KES 20 per day. KES 2,501 to 70,000 is KES 25 per day. Excise (20 percent) is added to every daily fee.

What is the Fuliza access fee?

One-off 1 percent of the drawdown, charged at the moment Fuliza engages.

When does the daily fee start?

From midnight the day after drawdown, once the free grace days (where applicable) have elapsed.

Is Fuliza cheaper than a 30-day M-Shwari loan?

Only for short holds. For anything held longer than about a week, the daily fee compounds past what M-Shwari charges as a single 9 percent facility fee. For a full 30-day period on the same amount, M-Shwari is cheaper.