M-Pesa Fuliza – review 2026

Fuliza is Safaricom's M-Pesa overdraft facility, allowing registered M-Pesa users to complete a transaction even when their wallet balance is insufficient, with the shortfall advanced automatically and repaid from the next deposit into the wallet. Safaricom PLC operates the M-Pesa platform under a licence from the Communications Authority of Kenya as a telecommunications and mobile money provider, but the credit risk on Fuliza itself is underwritten jointly by KCB Bank Kenya and NCBA Bank, both of which are commercial banks licensed and supervised by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

In practice this means Fuliza sits at the intersection of telecoms and banking regulation: Safaricom provides the distribution channel and user interface, while the two underwriting banks carry the lending risk and are responsible for the credit decision logic applied to each M-Pesa customer's overdraft limit.

Fees and Eligibility

Fuliza charges a daily access/maintenance fee calculated on the outstanding overdrawn balance, in addition to normal M-Pesa transaction charges, so costs can accumulate if an overdraft is left outstanding for several days. Eligibility and the overdraft limit offered are determined automatically by Safaricom and the underwriting banks based on the customer's M-Pesa usage and transaction history, with no separate application form required for eligible customers.