A High Court judgment ordered Safaricom to pay an innovator Sh1.4 billion over the design behind M-PESA Go, Business Daily reported. M-PESA Go keeps working: the court declined to stop the service.
On 8 May 2026 the High Court found Safaricom liable for copyright infringement over a child-wallet concept and awarded innovator Peter Nthei Muoki and Beluga Ltd Sh1.4 billion plus a royalty, according to Business Daily. Safaricom secured a 30-day stay to appeal. M-PESA Go was not shut down.
What changed
- Business Daily reported on 8 May 2026 that the High Court ordered Safaricom to pay innovator Peter Nthei Muoki Sh1.4 billion after finding the telco liable for copyright infringement.
- According to the same report, the court also awarded a royalty of 0.5 percent of Safaricom's gross M-PESA revenue in each financial year from 31 March 2025, covering the Manage Child Account and M-PESA Go products.
- Tech-ish reported that the case was Civil Suit E407 of 2022 at the Milimani Commercial Courts, brought by Mr Muoki and Beluga Limited, with Huawei as an interested party.
- Tech-ish reported that the court declined to grant an injunction, citing the disproportionate disruption to users, so M-PESA Go was not suspended, and that Safaricom secured a 30-day suspension of the judgment to appeal.
- Tech-ish also reported that the judge held the general idea of a child wallet unprotectable; what was protected was the documented USSD menu design.
- We found no reporting on the outcome of the appeal as at 16 October 2026.
Why it matters
For a parent or a teen using M-PESA Go, nothing changes today: the court chose not to stop the service, and the dispute is about money between Safaricom and the innovator, not about customer balances. It matters for two other reasons. A royalty tied to gross M-PESA revenue is unusual and, if it survives appeal, large. And court cases about a payment product are a magnet for scam messages claiming accounts will be frozen or must be "migrated". Nothing in this judgment asks M-PESA Go users to do anything.
What to do
- Keep using M-PESA Go as normal. The judgment did not suspend it.
- Ignore any message telling you to move your child's money or re-register because of a court case. Safaricom has published no such instruction.
- If you want to follow the appeal, look for Civil Suit E407 of 2022 in reporting from the Business Daily or on Kenya Law.
Published 16 October 2026 on paybillke. Last verified 16 October 2026. We refresh news entries quarterly and within 48 hours of any directly relevant ecosystem change. Editorial process.