Kenyans can now prove M-PESA payments without exposing personal details

Safaricom’s M-PESA Jumbe service is now live, giving customers a way to prove they have paid without displaying their full name, phone number or M-PESA balance. The service also allows eligible Lipa na M-PESA and Pochi la Biashara merchants to nominate additional recipients for payment notifications, helping staff confirm transactions without relying on the business owner’s phone.

TechTrendsKE first reported on M-PESA Jumbe’s privacy benefits on October 4, examining how the service addresses a familiar problem at Kenyan shops, restaurants, fuel stations and other businesses. With Jumbe available, customers and merchants can use the feature to handle payment confirmation with less exposure of personal information and fewer interruptions at the counter.

M-PESA Jumbe addresses a familiar payment problem

“Nionyeshe message” remains a common request after an M-PESA payment. Customers are often asked to show their transaction confirmation to an attendant, who checks the details before releasing goods or completing a sale. While this has become an ordinary part of paying through mobile money, the standard confirmation message can reveal information beyond what the merchant needs to verify the transaction, including the customer’s full name, phone number and remaining balance.

The request also reflects a practical challenge for businesses. Payment notifications may arrive on the owner’s phone rather than the device used by an employee serving customers. When the owner is away, an attendant may have to call for confirmation or ask the customer to display their message, leaving both the customer and other people in the queue waiting.

M-PESA Jumbe addresses both sides of this exchange. Customers receive a separate proof-of-payment SMS designed to limit the personal details they expose, while eligible merchants can nominate staff to receive payment notifications directly. The arrangement gives employees the information needed to check incoming payments without requiring routine access to the owner’s phone.

How Jumbe protects customer information

The central privacy feature is JumbeID, an alias that replaces the customer’s full name and phone number in the Jumbe proof-of-payment message. It combines the first letters of the customer’s first and last names with the final two digits of their phone number. For example, a customer named Nancy Kamau whose number ends in 74 would appear as NK_74.

The message retains transaction information needed to identify the payment, including the transaction reference, amount, business name, Till number, date and time. Customers can therefore present evidence of a transaction without exposing their full phone number or M-PESA balance in the same way as a conventional confirmation message.

JumbeID limits the personal information displayed, although it does not make a transaction completely anonymous. Initials and the final two digits of a phone number may still help someone recognise a customer in certain circumstances. The transaction reference remains important because it helps distinguish individual payments, including transactions involving customers with similar JumbeIDs.

For customers, the practical benefit is straightforward. Someone paying a restaurant bill, buying fuel or settling a purchase at a local shop can show the dedicated Jumbe message when proof is requested. The attendant can check the payment details without needing to inspect the customer’s ordinary M-PESA confirmation and its additional personal information.

Merchants can delegate payment notifications

M-PESA Jumbe also gives business owners more flexibility in managing payments. Eligible Lipa na M-PESA and Pochi la Biashara merchants can nominate up to 50 additional recipients to receive payment notifications, allowing authorised employees to check incoming transactions on their own phones.

This can help businesses where employees handle sales while the owner manages suppliers, collects stock or attends to other responsibilities. A waiter can confirm a restaurant bill, a shop assistant can check a customer’s payment, and a salon attendant can verify a transaction without repeatedly contacting someone away from the premises.

The feature is particularly relevant to Pochi la Biashara merchants who use their personal mobile line for business. Rather than leaving their phone at the premises so staff can read payment messages, owners can keep the device with them while nominated employees receive the notifications required for their work.

Receiving Jumbe notifications does not give employees access to the owner’s M-PESA balance, PIN, statement or transaction history. Their access is limited to the payment information provided through the notifications, allowing owners to delegate transaction confirmation without sharing broader account access.

How to activate M-PESA Jumbe

Merchants can nominate notification recipients through the M-PESA Jumbe menu by dialling *234#. The nominated staff member receives an invitation and must accept it before receiving payment notifications. The service uses SMS and USSD, allowing recipients to use basic mobile phones as well as smartphones.

For businesses that process payments throughout the day, direct notifications can reduce the need for staff to contact the owner whenever a customer completes a transaction. Customers also have a dedicated proof-of-payment message they can present when asked to confirm a purchase, with less personal information exposed in the process.

M-PESA Jumbe gives customers and merchants a more controlled way to handle a routine part of mobile money payments. Customers can show the details needed to verify a transaction, while business owners can allow authorised staff to confirm incoming payments without handing over their phones or wider account access.