Who uses it
Any business with an M-PESA paybill or till can get access. It is where you download a statement of payments received, manage the people who can see and approve transactions, and, if your role allows, move money out to your bank. If you only have a till and want to see payments on your phone, the M-PESA Business App may be enough; Safaricom says only the nominated business-owner number can install it.
Logging in
- Go to org.ke.m-pesa.com.
- Enter your shortcode (your paybill, bulk payment or till store number).
- Enter the username and the first-time password sent to your email.
- Enter the verification code, then the OTP sent to your phone by SMS.
- On first login, set a new password and answer two security questions. After that, you log in with username, shortcode, password, verification code and the SMS OTP.
The four main roles
- Business Administrator: created by Safaricom for the person the organisation nominates. Manages users, but cannot view, initiate or approve transactions.
- Business Manager: approves transactions and withdrawals to the bank.
- Business Web Operator: initiates transactions but cannot approve or reject them.
- Business Auditor: read-only.
Safaricom's manual also lists two additional roles beyond these four.
Safaricom says an organisation must have at least two web operators, so that one initiates and another approves. Operator accounts not used for 60 days are treated as inactive and must be closed.
Downloading a statement
- Open Browse Organization, then Review Transaction.
- Choose the account type and the date range.
- Select Export and pick the format you want.
Safaricom says the last six months are available in the portal. Older data is archived and can be requested by email to M-PESABusiness@safaricom.co.ke.
Password reset and lock-outs
Operators: your Business Administrator or Business Manager resets it. In the portal they search for the operator, open the operation menu, choose Reset Password, give a reason and submit.
Business Administrator: you cannot reset yourself. Safaricom's Business Administrator Form covers activating a dormant account, resetting the password and unlocking the account. For a reset, unlock or dormant account, the form needs two authorised signatories and a copy of your ID, both sides. (A current CR12 is asked for when a limited company requests a new administrator.) Send it to M-PESABusiness@safaricom.co.ke or call +254 722 002 222.
Do not have a paybill yet?
Safaricom says you apply by visiting a Safaricom shop with a filled-in application form and the required documents. See our guide to getting a paybill number. If you want to connect a website or app to your paybill, that is Safaricom's Daraja API, which needs a Lipa na M-PESA shortcode; see our Daraja integration guide.