How to unblock a blocked M-Pesa account if your SIM card was inactive

Safaricom reserves the right to suspend your M-Pesa account if you use it for any unauthorized purpose or leave it inactive for a period of time. If your account is blocked, you will not be able to use M-Pesa services until it is unblocked. But do you know how to unblock a blocked M-Pesa account if your SIM card was inactive?

Although Kenya is still a cash-intensive economy, more than 98 percent of all mobile money transactions in Kenya are processed through M-PESA. By offering faster, more accessible and affordable financial services, M-Pesa has fundamentally changed the financial services landscape in Kenya. It has gained popularity as an alternative to traditional banking.

M-Pesa is a mobile phone-based money transfer service introduced to the Kenyan market in 2007 by Vodafone and Safaricom. It allows users to deposit and withdraw funds through a network of agents, including bank agents.

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Over time, the service has expanded beyond its original home in Kenya to other countries, including Tanzania and Mozambique. It has become the world’s leading mobile money platform in terms of regular users and transactions. Today it processes around 900 transactions per second and has over 25 million customers.

The service has been praised for giving millions of people access to the formal financial system. Nowadays, customers can conveniently pay for almost anything through the platform from their mobile devices. However, this is only possible if you have an active M-Pesa account.

Why is your M-Pesa account blocked?

Safaricom reserves the right to suspend your M-Pesa account at its sole discretion. There are several reasons why your M-Pesa account may be suspended. These include:

• The most obvious option is to deter fraud. If Safaricom has reasonable grounds to suspect that your M-Pesa account is being used to receive or send funds in connection with criminal or fraudulent activities, your account will be suspended.
• The Company may be forced to suspend your account if you use it for unauthorized purposes.
• Your account may also be blocked if you disconnect your number or do not use your SIM card for 90 days.
• Your account could also be suspended if you request Safaricom to deactivate it in writing. However, Safaricom will only follow these instructions if your M-Pesa balance shows zero.
• Safaricom reserves the right to request further information regarding your M-Pesa account. Failure to provide the information may result in your M-Pesa account being suspended or terminated.
• The company could also suspend an M-Pesa account upon receiving notification of the death or mental disability of an M-Pesa user.

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What happens if your account is suspended?

If your account is blocked, Safaricom will keep the balance in your M-Pesa account for two years. After the deadline, the funds will be submitted to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority.

If your M-Pesa account is blocked due to an inactive SIM card, it will be archived. Safaricom will deactivate and recycle the MSISDN and make it available to another customer as required by law.

How to activate your blocked M-Pesa account

If your M-Pesa account has been blocked, there is no need to panic. You can easily activate your M-Pesa account by visiting a Safaricom store near you. However, before visiting the Safaricom store, you can try to reach a customer service representative by dialing 100 or 234 from your Safaricom connection.

When you get through, tell the agent that you want to unblock or activate your M-Pesa account. The agent may ask you a few questions about the line before activating it. Depending on the extent of the problem, the agent may ask you to visit a Safaricom store near you.

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There you will speak to a customer representative about the issue, who will explain why the account was blocked. You may be asked some questions about the M-Pesa account. If you answer the questions truthfully, the customer representative will activate the blocked M-Pesa account.

How to open a blocked M-Pesa account

If your M-Pesa account has been suspended, there are several tools available to you to recover your M-Pesa account. Here are the different options you can use to restore it.

Option 1

• Open the My Safaricom app on your phone.
• Scroll to the M-Pesa option and select My Account.
• Tap on the M-Pesa Unlock tab.
• You will be asked to enter your ID number to unblock your M-Pesa account.
• Wait for a confirmation message on your phone to know if the transaction was successful.

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Option 2

• Dial USSD code *334# on your Safaricom line.
• Select “My Account”.
• Select M-Pesa Pin Manager.
• Select “Unlock M-Pesa Pin”.
• Enter your ID number to unblock your M-Pesa account.
• You will receive a message that your M-Pesa account is unlocked.

Wrap up

There you have it. A comprehensive guide on how to unblock a blocked M-Pesa account if your SIM card has been inactive. Safaricom has made it easy for you to unblock your M-Pesa account and you don’t need to visit Safaricom stores to do it. However, if the problem persists after trying these options, you may have no choice but to visit your nearest Safaricom store.

DISCLAIMER: This article is not sponsored by any third party. They are for general information purposes only and do not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or assistance and should not be relied upon for making decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information contained in this article is entirely at your own risk and responsibility!

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How to withdraw money from the till number to your M-Pesa account

Tuko.co.ke has published instructions on how to withdraw money from the till number to your M-Pesa account. M-Pesa Business Checkout allows business owners to collect payments at the checkout and use the collected funds for other transactions directly at the checkout. It is ideal for a variety of businesses including hardware stores, supermarkets, salons, restaurants and pharmacies.

However, some transactions cannot be completed directly from the checkout. In such a case, you may need to withdraw money from your M-Pesa cash register to the number provided. All transactions, including withdrawals, are processed via the specified number via the M-Pesa app or by dialing the USSD code *234#. Read this post to learn more.

Source: TUKO.co.ke