Airtel goes after M-Pesa with lower fees and fresh customer deals
Airtel Money is stepping up its fight against Safaricom’s M-Pesa, with its parent company planning to use lower fees and customer incentives to win more users in Kenya.
Airtel Mobile Commerce NV says it wants to grow Airtel Money’s share of Kenya’s mobile-money market by offering customers a stronger value proposition, including cheaper transactions.
The move puts Airtel and Safaricom in an increasingly heated battle over Kenya’s mobile-money customers.
Airtel Money has already made several fee cuts, including on some paybill payments, transfers to other mobile networks and bank transfers.
The company has also launched Bizna Wallet, targeting small businesses and merchants in a space long dominated by M-Pesa’s Pochi la Biashara.
Safaricom has responded with changes of its own, intensifying what is shaping up to be a price war in Kenya’s mobile-money industry.
Despite Airtel’s gains, M-Pesa remains far ahead. Airtel Money accounted for 11.1% of mobile-money subscriptions in June 2026, compared with 88.8% for M-Pesa, according to industry data cited by Business Daily.
Airtel, however, has grown its share from just 2.8% in June 2023, signalling that it is steadily eating into M-Pesa’s dominance.
With lower fees, new products and more incentives on the table, Kenya’s mobile-money battle could soon become even more aggressive.
