Safaricom explains how to protect your M-PESA money when changing phone numbers
By Aloys Michael, July 24, 2026Changing your Safaricom phone number does not necessarily mean you will lose the money in your M-PESA account. However, recent refunds made through M-PESA Archived Funds have highlighted an important lesson for customers who switch, replace or abandon mobile numbers: your M-PESA wallet remains tied to the phone number on which it was registered until the balance is withdrawn or otherwise handled.
The issue came into focus after some Safaricom customers reported receiving unexpected payments from M-PESA Archived Funds. One customer, who received Ksh25, sought clarification on social media about the source of the money. Responding to the inquiry, Safaricom explained: “This was money sent to you from a previous line registered under you; however, you stopped using the line.”
The clarification has answered a question many customers have long had about what happens to money left in an M-PESA account after they stop using a particular Safaricom line. According to the telecommunications company, customers do not automatically lose those funds simply because a SIM card becomes inactive.
Safaricom says that when a phone number registered under a customer’s identity remains unused for an extended period, the line may eventually be recycled and assigned to another subscriber. However, any money left in the M-PESA wallet linked to that number is handled separately from the recycled SIM.
Addressing concerns that another customer could access money left in an old account.
“That is money that was in one of your old lines under your ID that was recycled/sold to another customer, and we are now refunding you that amount,” Safaricom stated.
Rather than transferring the balance to the new holder of the recycled number, Safaricom retains the funds as M-PESA Archived Funds under the identity of the original account holder. Once the process is completed, the money is refunded to the customer’s active M-PESA account, where it appears as a payment from “M-PESA Archived Funds.”
The company’s explanation also clarifies that receiving an Archived Funds payment does not mean a customer’s current phone line is about to be deactivated or suspended. Instead, the payment simply reflects the return of money that had remained in an old M-PESA account linked to a phone number the customer no longer used.
The latest clarification also serves as a reminder for customers planning to change or stop using a Safaricom line. Although Safaricom has a process for safeguarding and eventually refunding balances left in inactive accounts, customers can avoid delays by transferring or withdrawing money from an M-PESA wallet before abandoning a phone number.
As more Kenyans own multiple SIM cards or change mobile numbers, understanding the relationship between a Safaricom line and its M-PESA account has become increasingly important.
Safaricom’s explanation shows that while inactive phone numbers may eventually be recycled, the money left behind remains protected and is returned to its rightful owner instead of passing to the next subscriber.