When you have a pressing need that you want to urgently raise money for, having as many channels for people to donate to is very paramount. In Kenya especially, MPESA is a must, owing to its ease of access. In the past, you could only ask people to send money to your personal MPESA account which can only hold Kshs. 100,000 at any one time.
That has changed with the introduction of the Short Term MPESA Paybill Account by Safaricom. The Short Term M-PESA Pay Bill account will allow users to lease a Pay Bill number in order to raise money through it. The service works like a normal Pay Bill account so people donating to your cause won’t have a hard time figuring how it works. You can rent a Pay Bill number for a period of between 1 – 6 months and the service will be available for use within 48 hours upon application (if your application is successful). Your Short Term MPESA Paybill account will be able to hold upto Kshs. 100 million and the funds can be transferred to your bank account at request.
- Medical fund applicants
- Couples planning a wedding
- Education fund applicants
- Disaster fund applicants
- Funeral fund applicants
- School fund raising
- Church fund raising
Short Term MPESA Paybill Account requirements
1. Medical Fund
- Duly filled and signed Short Term Paybill Application form stating purpose and duration.
- Signed Terms and Conditions
- Certified ID and PIN Certificate of the applicant.
- Certified supporting documents from the Hospital / Doctor treating the patient which should confirm the need for the collection e.g. reference to an operation/required treatment (on the institution’s letter head, stamped and signed by authorized personnel)
- If applying on behalf of the beneficiary;
If a minor: the parents/guardian of the child should apply and the child’s birth certificate should be attached to the rest of the documents as listed above. - If the person is incapacitated: certified copies of IDs & PIN Certificates for both parties will be required
2. Educational Fund
- Duly filled and signed Short Term Paybill Application form stating purpose and duration.
- Signed Terms and Conditions
- Certified ID and PIN Certificate of the applicant.
- Certified supporting documents from the Education Institution stating the need for an education fund (on the institution’s letter head, stamped and signed by authorized personnel)
- If applying on behalf of the beneficiary;
If a minor: the parents/guardian of the child should apply and attach the child’s birth certificate.
3. Funeral
- Duly filled and signed Short Term Paybill Application form stating purpose and duration.
- Signed Terms and Conditions
- Certified ID and PIN Certificate of the applicant
- Certified Notice of Death, Copy of ID and PIN Certificate of the deceased
- Proof of Kin
- Certified copy of ID of the Next-of-Kin (certified by an advocate)
4. Wedding
- Duly filled and signed Short Term Paybill Application form stating purpose and duration.
- Signed Terms and Conditions
- Certified ID and PIN Certificate of the applicant
- Letter from institution that is to wed the couple
- Clearance letter from AG’s office (Registrar of Marriages)
- Certified copies of ID & PIN Certificate for the couple (certified by an advocate)
5. Charity or Catastrophe e.g. Fire / drought
- Duly filled and signed Short Term Paybill Application form stating purpose and duration.
- An official letter written by the committee members and signed by at least two committee members.
- A letter from the bank showing that an account has been set up for the intended purpose, as specified in the letter.
6. Church Fund Raising
- Duly filled and signed Short Term Paybill Application form stating purpose and duration.
- An official letter from the church authorizing the fund raising and also listing the committee members/elders of the church. The letter
- should be signed by at least two committee members.
- Any other official document from the church.
7. School Fund Raising
- Duly filled and signed Short Term Paybill Application form stating purpose and duration.
- An official letter from the school authorizing the fund raising and listing the committee members. The letter should be signed by at least two committee members.
- A letter from either the Board of Governors (BOG) or Parents Teachers Association (PTA) authorizing the fund raising.
- Any other official document from the school.
To apply for the service, send an email to: short-termpaybill@safaricom.co.ke or in person by visiting any Safaricom shop. Download the application form here. For more information, go here.