Nairobi — Safaricom says adoption of its unified "My OneApp" platform has reached 4.7 million registered users in Kenya as the telecommunications giant accelerates plans to phase out its legacy digital applications.
The platform is intended to eventually replace both the standalone M-Pesa and MySafaricom applications by consolidating mobile connectivity and financial services into a single digital interface.
Speaking during the Capital In The Morning show, Safaricom's Head of Digital Commerce and Loyalty Services Peter Gichangi said the company has introduced stricter security measures designed to curb rising cases of social engineering fraud.
According to Gichangi, the application is now directly linked to a user's physical SIM card, preventing access and financial transactions if the SIM is not present on the device.
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The move is aimed at blocking fraudsters from remotely accessing customer accounts using secondary devices or stolen login credentials.
Safaricom said the unified platform currently records about 1.3 million daily active users and nearly three million monthly active users.
To encourage migration, the telco has begun displaying notification banners inside the older M-Pesa and MySafaricom applications, urging customers to switch to the new platform.
The company plans to eventually remove the legacy applications from app stores, making My OneApp the primary digital access platform for customers.
The rollout of the application, first unveiled during the Decode 4.0 engineering summit in Nairobi in April, initially faced challenges after users complained about authentication issues, missing historical data and lack of Wi-Fi compatibility.
Safaricom says engineering teams have since resolved the Wi-Fi connectivity issues and restored several missing functions.
The telecommunications company is also planning future upgrades that will integrate machine learning to personalize financial services and automate recurring transactions.
Upcoming features are expected to include prompts for utility bill payments, merchant recommendations based on user location and transaction history, and tools to help customers identify nearby businesses accepting Lipa na M-Pesa payments.
The digital transition comes as Safaricom continues expanding operations in Ethiopia while also undergoing ownership changes in Kenya.
The Kenyan government is currently proceeding with the sale of an additional 15 percent stake in Safaricom to South Africa's Vodacom in a deal valued at approximately Sh204.3 billion.
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Once completed, the transaction will raise Vodacom's direct and indirect ownership to 55 percent while reducing the Kenyan government's stake to 20 percent.
