Safaricom has clarified that Fuliza debt is linked to a customer’s national ID and not only to their SIM card, prompting a response from a customer who raised concerns about accessibility for persons with disabilities.

In a post shared on its official X account on Monday, July 13, 2026, under the hashtag #FulizaYakoControlYako, the telecommunications company reminded customers that changing a SIM card does not remove an outstanding Fuliza balance.

“Note that the Fuliza debt is linked to your national ID not only your SIM card,” Safaricom said.

The clarification formed part of the company’s campaign to educate customers on the overdraft facility and responsible borrowing.

Customer raises accessibility concerns

Shortly after the post, an X user identified as @boni0727 appealed to Safaricom to review what he described as policies affecting customers with disabilities.

“Pliz safaricom end u discriminatory policy against crippled n mute customer. U know very well a crippled customer can’t walk to the shop to buy scratch to top up airtime n mute customer can’t make phone calls. Pliz end this policy.”

The customer called for services that better accommodate people with mobility and communication challenges.

How Fuliza works

Fuliza was introduced in January 2019 through a partnership between Safaricom, KCB Bank and NCBA.

The overdraft facility enables M-Pesa customers to complete transactions even when they do not have sufficient funds in their accounts. It can be used for person-to-person transfers, merchant payments, bill payments and cash withdrawals.

Repayment is made automatically once money is deposited into a customer’s M-Pesa account.

Fuliza limits are determined through an automated system that considers factors including M-Pesa usage, repayment history for Fuliza, M-Shwari and KCB M-Pesa loans, Credit Reference Bureau status, savings behaviour and the age of the mobile line.

Customers can request a review of their limit every 30 days by dialling *334# and selecting the “Refresh My Limit” option.

Growth in usage

Safaricom has maintained that Fuliza limits are generated automatically and cannot be manually adjusted or increased through third-party websites.

According to the company’s financial results for the year ended March 2026, Fuliza disbursements rose by 49.3 per cent to Ksh1.47 trillion.

The service had 17.7 million active users during the period and generated Ksh6 billion in revenue.

The latest clarification and the response from a customer have renewed discussion around accessibility as digital financial services continue to expand, with calls for solutions that accommodate customers with different needs while maintaining the service’s existing lending model.