What is Pochi la Biashara?

Pochi la Biashara is a Safaricom product that lets sole proprietors receive payments to their personal M-PESA line without disclosing their phone number. Customers pay to a business till number linked to the Pochi. It is designed for informal, low-volume merchants.

Do I need to register to accept Buy Goods?

Yes. Buy Goods requires a Lipa na M-PESA merchant account. Apply at any Safaricom Shop with your ID, KRA PIN, and business permit. Approval takes 1 to 3 days.

Pochi vs Buy Goods vs Paybill 2026: Which to Use

For a small business till, Pochi la Biashara is currently free for payments up to KES 500 (promo through 31 October 2026). Buy Goods charges the merchant 0.55 percent. Paybill charges the customer up to KES 108. The right choice depends on your ticket size, whether you need customer accounts, and your registration appetite.

The three options side by side

	Pochi la Biashara	Buy Goods (Till)	Paybill
Who pays	Sender (per promo table)	Merchant (0.55%)	Customer (send tariff)
Fee 0 to 500	Free (promo)	Free	KES 0 to 7
Fee 501 to 1,000	KES 13 (sender)	0.55% (merchant)	KES 13 (customer)
Fee 1,001 to 2,500	KES 23 to 33 (sender)	0.55% (merchant)	KES 23 to 33 (customer)
Fee 36,364 to 250,000	KES 50 (sender, promo cap)	KES 200 flat (merchant)	KES 108 (customer)
Registration	Free, USSD self-service	Shop visit, KRA PIN + permit	Shop visit, KRA PIN + permit
Account number	No	No	Yes
Best for	Informal, low volume	Retail, food, transport	Bills, tuition, utilities

Pochi la Biashara, the mama-mboga option

Pochi la Biashara is designed for sole proprietors, market traders, and informal micro-merchants who want to keep personal and business receipts separate without going through the full Lipa na M-PESA merchant process. Registration is free and takes about two minutes via *334# → M-PESA → Pochi la Biashara → Register.

Through 31 October 2026, Safaricom is running a Pochi promo with these customer tariffs:

Amount (KES)	Customer charge (KES)
0 to 500	Free
501 to 1,000	13
1,001 to 1,500	23
1,501 to 2,500	33
2,501 to 250,000	50 (flat cap)

The Pochi cap of KES 50 above KES 2,500 is materially cheaper than the paybill tariff (up to KES 108) at higher amounts, though your customers still pay something. Pochi is the sweet spot for tickets under KES 500 where both sides pay nothing.

Buy Goods, the retailer standard

Buy Goods (Lipa na M-PESA Till) is the standard for physical retail: shops, restaurants, salons, pharmacies, matatu SACCOs. The customer pays nothing. The merchant pays 0.55 percent, capped at KES 200 above KES 36,363, and free below KES 500.

You need a real business. Apply at a Safaricom Shop with:

National ID (for sole trader) or Company registration (CR12)
KRA PIN certificate
Business permit from the county
Two shareholders' IDs if it is a limited company

Approval takes 1 to 3 business days. You get a till number, a QR code, and access to the Lipa na M-PESA Business Portal.

Paybill, the account-per-customer option

Paybill is the choice when you have a customer account per person, so you know who each payment is for (utilities, schools, insurance, betting operators, SACCOs). The customer enters both the paybill number and their account, and the merchant reconciles inside their system.

The customer pays the M-PESA send tariff (0 to 108 KES depending on amount). Merchant pricing is set per paybill in negotiation with Safaricom.

Application is the same as Buy Goods (Safaricom Shop, KRA PIN, permit), plus a reconciliation callback URL if you want automated matching via the Daraja API.

Which one, by scenario

Mama mboga selling KES 20 to 500 tickets

Pochi la Biashara. Free for both sides at low ticket sizes. No shop visit needed. Keeps your personal phone number hidden.

Retail shop, average KES 100 to 5,000 tickets

Buy Goods. Customer pays nothing so they don't flinch at the till. Merchant fee is predictable (0.55 percent), and you get proper merchant tools.

Restaurant, average KES 500 to 3,000 tickets

Buy Goods. Same as retail. Add QR-code stickers at each table so customers can scan and pay with My OneApp.

Utility company, water, power, internet

Paybill. You need customer accounts (meter, subscription ID). Automated reconciliation via Daraja. Customer expects to pay their own send fee.

School or college, per-student fees

Paybill. Each student has an admission number. Bursary and school management systems consume the Daraja callback and mark fees paid.

Church or charity

Paybill if you want donors to reference an event or campaign. Buy Goods if you just want “give any amount” simplicity and are willing to pay 0.55 percent.

Boda boda operator

Pochi la Biashara. No shop visit, no permit, free below KES 500. Perfect for the fare bracket.

Fuel stations, the exception

Common mistakes when choosing

Using Paybill for a corner shop. Customers must type both business number and account. Slow at the counter, and the customer pays the fee. Use Buy Goods.
Using Buy Goods for utility bills. No account means no reconciliation. You will spend more on staff manually matching payments than you save in tariff. Use Paybill.
Assuming Pochi is permanent-free. The Pochi promo runs through 31 October 2026. After that, tariffs may reset. Plan for a possible change.
Splitting big bills across Pochi to game the promo. Safaricom fraud rules flag structured payments. Do not split a single transaction into multiple sends.

Frequently asked

Which is easiest to register for?

Pochi. Self-service via *334# in two minutes. Buy Goods and Paybill need a shop visit.

Can I switch from Pochi to Buy Goods later?

Yes. Pochi does not lock you in. When volumes grow past KES 500 tickets regularly, applying for Buy Goods shifts the fee to you and removes customer friction.

Can I hold both a Pochi and a Buy Goods till?

Yes, if they are legitimately for different products or businesses. Safaricom flags duplicate use of a single business under two rails as fraud.

Source: Safaricom Lipa na M-PESA tariff page and Pochi la Biashara promo terms, verified 30 August 2026. Promo end date confirmed for 31 October 2026.