Safaricom Unveils New M-Pesa Logo

Safaricom Limited on Wednesday, October 9, launched their new M-Pesa logo in a colourful event at their headquarters in Westlands, Nairobi.

After 12 record-breaking years, the evolutionary mobile-phone-based financial service shed its old skin and morphed into a brand new and vibrant design inspired by legendary marathoner, Eliud Kipchoge.

Speaking at the event, Chief Financial Services Officer, Sitoyo Lopokoiyit announced that the new logo will be in use for the next 7 days, in honour of the Kenyan marathoner who was also declared to be the new face of M-Pesa.

Safaricom interim CEO, Michael Joseph pictured at the event October, 9 2019

He also stated that they had opened up a free SMS line to wish Kipchoge well as well as free YouTube to Livestream the historic event.

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph reiterated Lopokoiyot's assertions while heaping praise on Kipchoge. 

"We are honoured to renew our commitment with Eliud Kipchoge and to support him as he races against time. As part of our support, we will be empowering any Kenyan across the country to stream the challenge for free, wherever they are, with the advantage of our strong network and wide coverage. For every Kenyan, Kipchoge is a reflection of our resilience and determination as he has taken on challenge after challenge.

“The last few years have seen Kipchoge emerge not only as one of the greatest athletes ever but also as one of the most accomplished people ever. It is a privilege to partner with him on this historic occasion and as an icon, it is only befitting to offer our M-PESA brand in his recognition," Michael Joseph enthusiastically stated. 

Users were instructed to dial  *159# to access 1500megabites, that would provide 2-3 hours of Youtube.

Launched in March 2007, M-Pesa now has over 22.6 million active customers and over 167,000 M-Pesa Agent outlets countrywide. 

The country’s biggest mobile network operator had caused quite a stir on October 7, after releasing a teaser of the new design changes that have since been confirmed.

When it was launched, the service targeted people wanting to send money from the big Kenyan cities like Nairobi to their homes in rural areas, however, it has since evolved into so much more.

Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge pictured during the 2018's Berlin Marathon

The mobile money service is so popular in Kenya, it’s estimated that seven in ten adults use the service.

According to a report released on January 2019, on average for the quarter, a record-breaking 237 million transactions were processed monthly through the M-Pesa system.

M-Pesa's impact on the country's financial sector is unprecedented.

Recently, M-Pesa was recognised as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Finance Projects of the last 50 years by Project Management Institute (PMI) in its 2019 Most Influential Projects list.

The mobile money service beat more than 1,000 projects to be listed among the Top 50 Most Influential Projects Globally.

“We are honoured to receive this accolade and global recognition which is a true testament to our impact on society. This recognition further underlines M-PESA’s commitment to our customers and its transformation to the country which has seen financial inclusion in Kenya grow by more than 50 percent in the last 12 years to stand at more than 82 percent today,” Michael Joseph stated.