Safaricom has received regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Kenya to introduce number masking on M-PESA messages, a long-awaited privacy upgrade that will limit how much personal data users expose during transactions.
The company explains that the update will conceal a sender’s full mobile number when customers pay merchant Till or PayBill accounts, showing only partial digits.
Safaricom adds that merchants who need the complete number will have to request it within the system, and customers will choose whether to disclose it.
Safaricom says the change addresses a long-standing privacy gap in Kenya’s most used payment platform.
For years, the phone number has doubled as an identity, an account reference, and a convenient way for merchants to track customers. The operator explains that masking loosens that tight link, reshaping how people relate to one another inside everyday digital payments.
The regulator approved the rollout in February, closing months of internal engagement between Safaricom and financial authorities. The Central Bank explains that the move reflects the data minimisation principle in Kenya’s Data Protection Act 2019, which requires organisations to collect only what they need to deliver a service.
While merchants often rely on phone numbers to recognise customers, the regulator adds that the number does not determine whether a payment succeeds.
Safaricom further says the approval opens the door to extend the same protection across more payment flows over time, including person-to-person transfers and business payments.
The company adds that the feature aims to cut unnecessary exposure of personal data while keeping transactions traceable through user-approved disclosure when a full number is genuinely needed.
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