How to verify sender’s identity after Safaricom masks mobile numbers on M-PESA
By Mustafa Juma, March 25, 2026Telecommunications giant Safaricom has issued guidance to customers on how to verify the identity of senders following the rollout of a new M-PESA feature that masks mobile numbers in transaction messages.
The clarification comes after concerns from users, particularly small business owners, who say the change makes it harder to track customers and resolve payment errors.
Concerns over hidden numbers
One customer, using the X (formerly Twitter) handle @CaptianOchenge, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, raised an alarm over the update, noting that it could complicate day-to-day business operations.
“As a business person @SafaricomPLC hii kuficha number ya mtu si poa. I am selling nyanya. Someone sent 1 bob instead of 100. I had so many clients. Uyu MTU sasa nitampata aje?” the user posted.
The concern highlights challenges faced by traders who rely on direct mobile numbers to confirm payments, follow up on discrepancies, or identify customers.
In response, Safaricom advised customers to use an official verification method to confirm sender details without exposing personal data.
To verify the senders’ identities, Safaricom has advised its customers to forward the M-PESA confirmation messages to 334 within 24 hours.
“Hi CaptainOchenge, to verify the sender’s identity, forward the M-PESA confirmation message to 334 within 24 hours,” the company said.
This process, according to the telco, allows users to securely confirm the identity of the sender while maintaining compliance with data protection standards.
Why Safaricom is masking numbers
The move to conceal phone numbers is part of broader efforts to enhance user privacy and align with data minimisation principles.
By limiting the exposure of personal information, Safaricom aims to reduce risks such as fraud, identity theft, and misuse of customer data.
Safaricom introduced the data minimisation feature on its mobile money platform, M-Pesa, on March 24, 2026, after receiving approval from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).
This update masks numbers for Till, PayBill, and peer-to-peer payments, limiting personal data exposure.
This means that M-Pesa transaction notifications to merchants will no longer display the customer’s full phone number, showing only partial digits instead.
According to Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa, the feature will ensure that only two names of the sender are displayed and three middle figures of the mobile number on a transaction are masked.
However, the change has sparked debate among users who argue that while privacy is important, it should not come at the expense of convenience and business efficiency.
For many small-scale traders, especially those in informal sectors, M-PESA remains a critical payment platform.
The ability to quickly identify customers through phone numbers has long been a key feature supporting trust and accountability in transactions, with some traders preferring keeping customers’ numbers for referral purposes.