Giving by M-PESA Paybill, Safely

Most gifts to small organisations in Kenya now travel by M-PESA. It is quick, it works from any phone, and it leaves a record. It also leaves room for mistakes and for fraud: a wrong digit, a fake appeal using a real organisation's name, or a payment prompt approved without reading it.

This guide is for anyone giving to a charity or community group by M-PESA, including to us. It covers what to check before you enter your PIN, what to keep afterwards, what a proper acknowledgement should show, and what to do if something goes wrong. Where we describe Safaricom's or a bank's rules, we name the source; those rules can change, so confirm with them if a detail matters.

Before you pay: check where the money is going

Get the number from the organisation itself. Take the paybill and account number from the organisation's own website, its printed materials or a person you have met, not from a forwarded WhatsApp message or a comment under a post. Fraudsters copy real appeals and change only the number.

Pay an organisation, not a person. An appeal that asks you to send money to a personal mobile number, however well meant, puts the money in one individual's hands. Our guide on how to verify a charity in Kenya explains why shared control of the money matters and what else to check.

Understand bank paybills. Many organisations, including ours, receive M-PESA through their bank. Our paybill, 400200, is Co-operative Bank's. Co-operative Bank's own page on paybill 400200 explains that the account number you enter is the Co-op Bank account the money goes into. So the business name on your screen will normally be the bank's, not ours, and it is the account number that sends the money to the right place. Read it back digit by digit. Our account number is 1151353, and the account is held in the name Lift A Life Foundation at the Ruiru branch, as shown on our donate page.

Read the screen before your PIN. In July 2026 Safaricom, in its "Jiulize, Hii ni Ukweli?" awareness campaign, reminded customers that "your M-PESA PIN is your final line of defence", and advised them to confirm that they started the transaction and to check the paybill or till number and business name before approving any payment. If a payment prompt appears on your phone that you did not start, decline it.

After you pay: keep the record

Co-operative Bank says that someone paying through 400200 receives two messages: the M-PESA confirmation straight away, and then an SMS from the bank with the deposit details. Do not delete either. Between them they show:

• the M-PESA transaction code, the string of letters and numbers at the start of the message
• the amount
• the date and time
• the paybill and the account number you paid to

The transaction code is what an organisation needs to find your gift in its records. If you ever ask about a donation, quote it.

What a proper acknowledgement should show

An M-PESA message proves you sent money. It does not prove the organisation received it, recorded it and knows what it is for. For anything more than a small gift, ask for a written acknowledgement. A good one shows:

• the organisation's full name and its registration number
• your name, unless you asked to give anonymously
• the amount and the date received
• the M-PESA transaction code or bank reference
• any purpose you attached to the gift, and whether the organisation agreed to it
• the name of the person issuing it and their role

If your gift is for something specific, say so in writing. A bank paybill account number cannot carry a note, so send a message or email at the same time saying what the money is for, and quote the transaction code. A good organisation will tell you if it cannot use the gift that way, rather than quietly spending it on something else.

A word on tax

Donors sometimes assume every gift to a charity reduces their tax. Under section 15(2)(w) of the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax (Charitable Organisations and Donations Exemption) Rules, 2024, published by KRA as Legal Notice 105 of 2024, a deduction is allowed for donations to a charitable organisation whose income is exempt from tax, or to a project approved by the Cabinet Secretary for finance. The rules expect evidence that the exempt organisation received the donation and a copy of its exemption certificate. If an organisation cannot show you an exemption certificate, do not assume your gift is deductible. Ask us before you rely on it, and we will answer plainly.

If something goes wrong

Sent to the wrong person. Safaricom's published M-PESA reversal terms describe a self-service reversal: forward the original M-PESA message to 456. The terms say this is for Safaricom-to-Safaricom person-to-person transfers, requested by the sender or recipient within 24 hours, and that the result depends on the recipient still having the money. Act quickly.

Paid the wrong paybill or account. A payment to a business number is held by that business, so it usually has to be returned by them. Contact Safaricom customer care and the organisation that owns the paybill as soon as you notice, with the transaction code ready.

Suspect a fake appeal. Do not send money. Safaricom asks customers to forward the numbers behind suspicious messages and calls to 333, free of charge, so they can be investigated and blocked. If the appeal uses a real organisation's name, tell that organisation too. If it uses ours, please let us know.

A short checklist

• Number taken from the organisation's own website or materials
• Paying an organisation's paybill or bank account, not a personal number
• Account number read back digit by digit
• Screen checked before the PIN; unknown prompts declined
• M-PESA and bank messages kept, transaction code noted
• Purpose of the gift sent in writing, with the transaction code
• Written acknowledgement requested for larger gifts
• Exemption certificate seen before claiming any tax deduction

Where we fit

Lift A Life Foundation is a community based organisation in Ruiru, registered with the County Government of Kiambu, certificate RSC/3811/CBO/2024. Our M-PESA paybill is 400200, account 1151353, and our bank details are on the donate page. If you give and would like an acknowledgement, send us your transaction code and ask. If you want to know what happens to a gift once it arrives, Where Your Donation Goes explains it, and you can always ask us directly.