Verified 12 September 2026
M-PESA Till for a Shop or Kiosk
By Aisha Hassan · M-PESA Till hub
A shop or kiosk wants a till because customers pay free and fast at the counter, and you can add staff operators without giving them owner access. The counter flow is Buy Goods > till > amount > done, no account number to type.
Documents you need
Sole trader is the common route: national ID, personal KRA PIN, Single Business Permit, bank confirmation, and a Safaricom line in your name.
Day-to-day flow
Take payment (customer picks Buy Goods, types your till, pays). Check the app to see money-in in real time. Add a staff operator as an assistant with their own PIN. Withdraw to your bank in fewer, larger transfers to keep costs down.
Cost at typical ticket sizes
Free for the customer at every amount. Merchant: collections up to KES 500 free, then 0.55% capped at KES 200. So a KES 300 sale costs you nothing; a KES 5,000 sale costs about KES 28; a KES 40,000 sale costs the KES 200 cap.
Do you also need a paybill?
Not for a shop. If you also do delivery orders with a reference (name/order), add a paybill for that channel.
Frequently asked
Is customer payment free?
Yes.
Do I need staff PINs?
Yes, each staff operator gets their own PIN and role.
Also need a paybill?
Not for a pure retail shop.
Related
Verified 12 September 2026. Independent guide, not Safaricom. Confirm current merchant band table, reversal shortcode and any till-name-change process on safaricom.co.ke.