For some KCB M-PESA customers, checking their accounts in the morning has turned into a worrying experience after reports emerged of money disappearing without their knowledge or clear explanation.
The concerns have been raised by customers who say their KCB M-PESA balances changed overnight, with some reporting that funds they had saved were moved or deducted despite not initiating the transactions.
One woman shared screenshots showing that she had about Sh17,000 in her account after making a deposit the previous evening. By morning, thousands of shillings were missing.
After contacting Safaricom Care, she was informed that Sh12,000 had been withdrawn from her KCB M-PESA account. Part of the money was used to settle a Fuliza balance, while the remaining amount was transferred to a Co-op Bank account. The customer, however, maintained that she had not authorised or initiated the transactions and was asleep when the movements happened.
The confirmation of the transactions did little to answer the biggest question facing the affected customer: how did the money leave her KCB M-PESA account without her knowledge?
The complaints do not appear to end with one customer. Other KCB M-PESA users have also shared concerns about balances that do not seem to match their records, deposits that appear to disappear and transactions they say they cannot account for.
One customer said the figures in her KCB M-PESA account simply did not add up. Another questioned why customers continue to struggle with complaints about a service they depend on for their daily financial needs.
For many Kenyans, KCB M-PESA is more than just another mobile money product. It is a place to keep savings, access credit and manage money from a mobile phone. Customers put money into the service expecting that it will remain available when they need it.
That is why unexplained deductions or transfers are particularly serious.
A customer who wakes up to find money moved to another bank account is not simply dealing with an ordinary technical inconvenience.
They are left questioning whether their savings are properly protected and whether the systems handling their money can be trusted.
There are also reports from some users who say agents have attributed deductions to old loan balances, including facilities they claim they have not used for a long time.
Others say money left their KCB M-PESA accounts but did not appear where they expected it to go.
The different complaints are now raising questions about the controls surrounding KCB M-PESA transactions and how unusual account movements are detected and handled.
It is important to note that reports from customers alone do not establish that the money was deliberately stolen or that there was wrongdoing by KCB or Safaricom. Technical problems, account issues and other system errors can occur.
However, repeated reports of unexplained transactions deserve clear answers and proper investigation.
Customers need more than a message confirming that a transaction took place. They need to know how it happened, where their money went, whether the transaction was authorised and what steps will be taken to recover funds that may have left their accounts without permission.
KCB and Safaricom, which jointly provide KCB M-PESA, face an important test of customer confidence. The complaints should be investigated carefully, with affected customers given complete transaction records and meaningful explanations instead of responses that simply confirm the movement of money.
For a country where mobile money has become part of everyday life, confidence depends on one basic expectation: when people save their money, it should still be there when they wake up.
The growing concern around KCB M-PESA puts that expectation under the spotlight. Customers are now demanding answers about missing balances, unexplained deductions and transfers they say they never authorised.
Until those questions are properly addressed, every unexplained overnight transaction risks deepening the fear that the money people work so hard to save may not be as secure as they believed.
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