Safaricom Explains My OneApp Restrictions in Countries Without Roaming Partner

Safaricom has clarified why some customers are unable to access the My OneApp while in certain foreign countries.

In a brief statement on Thursday, April 16, the telco explained that the restrictions apply to users in locations where it does not have a roaming partnership.

"If you’re in a country without a Safaricom roaming partner, access to the M-PESA App may be restricted for security reasons," the statement read.

Safaricom further advised affected users on alternative ways to access services and what to do once they move to supported regions.

"Kindly use *334# where available, or log back in once you’re in a supported roaming location. Sorry for the inconvenience," the statement added.

This comes a week after Safaricom responded to concerns from Kenyans living abroad following a recent update to the My OneApp that left many users locked out of their accounts.

Diaspora users of M-PESA reported being automatically logged out after the update, with difficulties logging back in while outside Kenya.

"You have logged out all of us and the only way to login again is to have the Safaricom network connected, which doesn’t work on roaming. Now tell me, what do you want me to do with the money in my M-PESA? Huge disappointment," one user said.

In response, Safaricom explained that users abroad can still regain access to their accounts by following specific steps during the login process.

The company stated that the issue can be resolved by ensuring the Safaricom SIM card is correctly set up and used during the initial login attempt.

"To log back into My OneApp while abroad, ensure your Safaricom SIM is inserted as primary, roaming is active, and use mobile data (not Wi-Fi) for the first login. You can switch to Wi-Fi after," Safaricom explained.

Prior to that, Safaricom had clarified why M-PESA statements appear with redacted phone numbers and explained the process customers must follow if they want to access a full version.

In a statement on Monday, March 9, Safaricom explained that the redaction of phone numbers is part of its compliance with data protection regulations.

"The phone numbers are redacted due to the data protection policy. Once you request for a statement, an SMS is sent with the password to enable you access the statement," the company said.

Safaricom further clarified that customers who require the complete, unblurred version of their M-PESA statement must provide an abstract to facilitate the process.

"To access an unblurred statement can only be done from a Safaricom shop and you need to get an abstract to facilitate the process," the company added.