Safaricom has announced that it will carry out a planned upgrade of its Fuliza overdraft service in the early hours of Monday, November 17, aiming to strengthen system reliability and security for users. The maintenance is scheduled to run from 0100 to 0200 hours, with potential temporary interruptions to Fuliza services, while other M-Pesa functions will remain fully operational.
In a notice sent to customers on Saturday, the company said the upgrade is part of ongoing efforts to enhance its digital financial products and maintain “safe, secure and worry-free” services for users.
"During the maintenance period, Fuliza services may be intermittent. All other M-PESA service will remain available as usual," Safaricom stated, noting that the timing was carefully chosen to reduce disruption. The company also apologised for any inconvenience and thanked customers for their continued support.
Scheduled system upgrades allow operators to patch vulnerabilities, improve processing speed, and implement backend improvements that support future enhancements and better scalability. Safaricom emphasised that customers’ understanding is valued as the upgrade is carried out.
Fuliza, the company’s widely used overdraft product linked to M-Pesa accounts, allows users to complete transactions even when their wallet balance is insufficient, providing instant credit to bridge shortfalls.
The service has become central to digital payments in Kenya, facilitating millions of transactions daily, including merchant payments, bill settlements, and peer transfers.
Customers relying on Fuliza for urgent payments are advised to plan around the maintenance period and monitor transaction status. Those requiring immediate transactions during the upgrade can continue to use other M-Pesa services that do not involve the overdraft facility.
Safaricom clarified that the upgrade will not affect Fuliza charges, eligibility, or lending terms.
Addressing user inquiries, the company said: "Unfortunately once you opt out of Fuliza your limit is reviewed automatically by the system and at the discretion of the Bank depending on how regularly you've been saving, repaying your loans on time and using other Safaricom services (Voice, Data & Mpesa) as the limit cannot be manually adjusted."
Another user asked: "I have zero limit and yet am more than 10 years with you and transaction is always." Safaricom explained that loan limits are allocated automatically based on a customer’s credit rating, use of Safaricom services, and repayment history.
"The system takes into consideration your average Safaricom products and services usage like data, voice, M-Pesa, your CRB credit score, as well as your savings before allocating a limit at the discretion of the BANK. Please continue using these Safaricom products and services, and once you qualify, you will receive a text message notifying you of the amount qualified," the company added.
