Safaricom is celebrating what it describes as a major digital milestone. The telecommunications giant says more than 4.7 million customers have signed up for My OneApp, its flagship platform designed to merge M-PESA, mobile services and lifestyle features into a single ecosystem. On paper, it is another success story for Kenya’s most profitable company.
For many customers, however, the celebration tells only half the story.
Behind the impressive registration numbers is a wave of consumer frustration that continues to build across social media, technology forums and customer support channels. Instead of praising the new platform, many users say they have been forced into adopting an application they believe is still plagued by technical problems, creating the impression that ordinary Kenyans have become participants in a nationwide software experiment.
The controversy goes far beyond complaints about a redesigned interface.
Users have reported authentication failures, disappearing Paybill lists, repeated login requests, application freezes and interrupted transactions. While software bugs are common during major digital upgrades, critics argue that the stakes are dramatically different when the platform in question controls access to M-PESA, the financial backbone of millions of households and businesses.
For countless Kenyans, M-PESA is not simply another mobile application. It is where salaries are received, school fees are paid, hospital bills are settled and businesses process their daily revenue. Every interruption carries real financial consequences.
Consumer concerns have intensified following Safaricom’s decision to gradually phase out the standalone M-PESA and MySafaricom applications. Messages inside the older apps encourage customers to migrate to My OneApp, a move many users interpret as leaving them with little practical choice.
Critics argue that the transition resembles a forced migration rather than voluntary adoption.
Technology experts have long cautioned that large-scale software deployments require extensive testing under real-world conditions before replacing systems that millions depend on daily. Customers questioning Safaricom’s rollout argue that the company appears to have reversed that process by exposing millions of users to unresolved issues while continuing to refine the platform after launch.
The company has acknowledged some early technical difficulties and previously apologised for initial disruptions affecting certain users before releasing software updates aimed at improving performance. Yet complaints have continued to surface, with some users insisting that the fixes have not fully addressed persistent reliability issues.
The growing backlash raises uncomfortable questions about corporate accountability.
Safaricom occupies a uniquely influential position within Kenya’s digital economy. Its products have become essential infrastructure, giving the company enormous responsibility whenever changes affect access to financial services. Consumer advocates argue that with such dominance comes an obligation to ensure stability before compelling customers to migrate to entirely new platforms.
The dispute also exposes a broader concern facing the technology industry.
Increasingly, companies release products that continue evolving after launch through frequent updates. While this development model has become standard practice in software, critics argue it is far more problematic when applied to platforms handling people’s money, identities and essential public services.
Customers contend that digital innovation should never come at the expense of reliability.
The controversy surrounding My OneApp ultimately extends beyond software glitches. It reflects growing public concern over whether corporations have become too comfortable treating consumers as participants in live product testing instead of delivering mature, dependable technology from the outset.
Safaricom may point to 4.7 million registrations as evidence of success. Its critics see a different picture, arguing that adoption figures alone cannot measure customer satisfaction, particularly where migration is effectively unavoidable.
As pressure mounts, the challenge facing Safaricom is no longer convincing Kenyans to download My OneApp. It is convincing them that the platform can earn the trust that made M-PESA one of Africa’s most successful financial innovations in the first place.
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