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Verified 13 September 2026

M-PESA Bulk Payment: paying many people at once

By David Wachira · Safaricom services hub · paybillke is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Safaricom services.

Bulk Payment (B2C) lets an organisation pay many people at once from a single M-PESA shortcode: salaries, dividends, SACCO payouts, insurance claims, refunds. You load float into the shortcode through an M-PESA Trust account, then disburse from the M-PESA Business portal.

The control that makes it usable

Bulk Payment runs on maker-checker: one user (the operator) prepares and initiates a batch, a different user (the manager) approves it. That separation is the whole reason an organisation can use this instead of someone sending two hundred payments from a personal line. It stops a single mistake or a single dishonest person from moving money, and it produces an audit trail that a payroll built on individual sends never has.

How it works in practice

  1. Float is loaded into the shortcode through an M-PESA Trust account. You are disbursing money you have already placed there, not drawing on credit.
  2. A batch is prepared in the M-PESA Business portal.
  3. The operator initiates; the manager approves.
  4. Payments land on recipients’ M-PESA in real time.
  5. The portal shows the disbursement and lets you download a statement of everything paid.

Who actually uses it

Employers paying salaries, SACCOs paying dividends, insurers settling claims, NGOs making stipend or cash-transfer payments, and any business issuing refunds at volume. The common factor is many small payments to people who are not going to come and collect.

Getting it

Apply through M-PESA for Business, the M-PESA Business Hub, or a Safaricom account manager. You will need business registration documents and a funded shortcode. This is not a same-day self-service product.

About this page

paybillke is an independent payments directory and is not Safaricom or M-PESA. Checked 13 September 2026 against Safaricom’s published service pages. Safaricom will never ask for your M-PESA PIN or a one-time password: report anyone who does to 100, and forward suspicious messages to 333.

Frequently asked

What is M-PESA B2C?

Business to Customer bulk payment: paying many people at once from one M-PESA shortcode, used for salaries, dividends, claims and refunds.

What is maker-checker?

One user prepares and initiates a payment batch and a different user approves it, so no single person can move money alone.

How is a bulk payment funded?

You load float into the shortcode through an M-PESA Trust account and disburse from there.

Can I get a statement of what was paid?

Yes. The M-PESA Business portal lets you monitor disbursements and download a statement.

How do I apply for Bulk Payment?

Through M-PESA for Business or a Safaricom account manager, with business registration documents.