Safaricom Moves M-PESA Users to Unified App in Consolidation Push

AFRICAN BUSINESS AND ECONOMYApril 8, 2026 at 10:22 AM UTC

TLDR

Safaricom transitions M-PESA users to My OneApp platform for consolidated services and enhanced digital finance market position.
My OneApp merges M-PESA and mySafaricom features to streamline user experience and reduce operational complexity.
Safaricom's FinTech 2.0 strategy integrates financial services into a unified interface, aiming to increase control, expand revenue streams, and offer a "super app" experience.

Safaricom has begun migrating users from its standalone M-PESA app to a new platform, My OneApp, as it consolidates services and strengthens its position in Kenya’s digital finance market.

The company unveiled My OneApp on April 2 at its Decode 4.0 summit. Since April 3, users of M-PESA have started receiving updates redirecting them to the new interface, marking the start of a phased transition.

My OneApp combines features from the M-PESA app and the mySafaricom app into a single system. Safaricom said the move will reduce duplication, simplify infrastructure, and create a unified user experience.

The platform is part of Safaricom’s FinTech 2.0 strategy, which aims to expand beyond telecom services into a broader technology ecosystem by 2030. The company is also integrating financial services such as payments, savings, and investments into one interface.

The rollout comes as banks including Equity Group Holdings and KCB Group improve their digital offerings to compete with M-PESA’s dominance in payments and transfers.

Key Takeaways

Safaricom’s move reflects a platform strategy aimed at increasing control over user activity and expanding revenue streams. By consolidating apps into a single interface, the company can reduce operational complexity while capturing more data on user behaviour. This data can be used to drive personalised services, improve engagement, and increase transaction volume. The integration of third-party services and financial products positions My OneApp as a “super app,” where users can access multiple services without leaving the ecosystem. This model has been successful in other markets, particularly in Asia, where platforms combine payments, commerce, and financial services. In Kenya, competition is increasing as banks improve their digital products and target services traditionally dominated by M-PESA. Safaricom’s response is to deepen its ecosystem, making it harder for users to switch by embedding more services into daily usage. For investors, this signals a shift from single-product dominance to platform-based competition, where scale, data, and user engagement determine long-term advantage.

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