KCB Bank customers across Kenya were left stranded on Sunday afternoon, October 26, 2025, after the financial institution’s key digital and card services went offline.

In a statement posted on X, at 4:12 pm, the bank announced that services on ATMs, cards, internet banking, mobile banking app, and USSD were unavailable.

“Dear Customer, our services on KCB ATMs, Cards, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking on App and USSD are currently unavailable. We are working towards having the services restored. We apologise for the inconvenience caused,” KCB wrote.

The outage affected customers trying to access their funds, make payments, and carry out mobile transactions.

While KCB did not immediately explain the cause of the disruption, such system downtimes often stem from technical maintenance, system overloads, or server failures. The bank assured users that engineers were working to resolve the problem and restore normal services as soon as possible.

KCB, one of Kenya’s largest lenders, has in recent years relied heavily on digital banking platforms.

How to Activate KCB Mobile Banking

To use KCB’s mobile banking, new customers must first activate the service through any KCB branch. Once registered, they receive a message prompting them to activate mobile banking via *522#. The process involves creating a 4-digit PIN, confirming it, accepting the terms and conditions, and submitting the activation request.

After successful activation, users can transact securely using the PIN set during registration.

Services available on KCB Mobile Banking

KCB Mobile Banking offers a variety of services designed to simplify transactions for customers without visiting a branch. Below are some of the key features available through the *522# code or the mobile app:

Paying bills: Customers can settle utility and service bills, including electricity, water, and TV subscriptions, directly from their KCB account.

Sending money: Users can transfer funds to mobile wallets such as Vooma, M-PESA, and T-kash, or use PesaLink to send money to other bank accounts in real time.

Purchasing airtime: Airtime for any network can be purchased instantly for personal or other numbers.

Loading cards: Customers can load KCB credit or prepaid cards conveniently using mobile banking.

Vooma payments: Payments can be made to Vooma pay bills and Vooma tills, KCB’s digital payment solution for merchants.

Mobile loans: Customers can borrow KCB mobile loans directly through *522# and receive funds instantly.

Receiving international transfers: The platform supports receiving money through Western Union, allowing users to access funds from abroad directly to their accounts.

Redeeming Simba Points: Accumulated Simba Points can be redeemed for airtime or converted into cash.

Opening a KCB M-BENKI account: New customers can open digital accounts without visiting a physical branch.

Transferring money from M-PESA: Customers can move funds from M-PESA to their KCB accounts easily, supporting smooth mobile-to-bank transactions.