Many Kenyans woke up to a stressful day after finding that they could not access one of the services they rely on most. M-Shwari, a platform that many people use to save money or borrow quick loans, stopped working completely for most of November 18, 2025.
From early morning, users tried to check their balances, withdraw savings, send money, or apply for loans, but every attempt failed. Error messages kept appearing, and nothing went through no matter how many times they tried.
Since thousands of Safaricom customers use M-Shwari for emergencies, daily expenses, or business needs, the disruption caused widespread panic and confusion.
As the hours passed, the complaints grew louder. People flooded social media with screenshots of failed transactions and comments asking if others were facing the same issue. Safaricom’s customer care team responded repeatedly, confirming there was a system outage and explaining that NCBA, their banking partner, was working to resolve the problem.
They apologized and asked users to stay patient, but for many Kenyans, patience was hard when money they needed was suddenly out of reach. Even Safaricom’s main account posted updates to calm worried customers who feared their savings might be in danger.
The outage did not come as a surprise to some users. In recent weeks, M-Shwari has had several similar problems, and frustrations have been building. Many people depend on the platform because it is simple, fast, and convenient. With just a short code on a basic phone, someone can open a savings account or borrow money instantly. Since its launch, the service has helped millions, especially small business owners and rural families who may not have easy access to banks. But these repeated breakdowns have started to weaken trust in the system.
When an outage happens, the impact is felt immediately. Someone needing medicine, school fees, airtime, or even fare home can suddenly find themselves stranded.
For many, their savings remained locked, and their loan applications were stuck.
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