Airtel Money currently has more than 6,000 agents countrywide/FILE
Airtel Kenya Managing Director Shivan Bhargava said in a release to the media that, “This proposition marks yet another great stride in deepening our commitment to drive accessibility and affordability of quality products and services to our customers throughout Kenya.”
“The offer will remove the burden of traditional charges that customers on mobile networks incur while sending money to others from their phones,” he explained.
He emphasised that the zero transaction charge applies to any amount sent to recipients on any network in Kenya.
The new tariff charge introduced by Airtel Kenya comes a day after Finance Minister Njeru Githae moved to widen the tax net to meet the huge wage bill caused by the recent strikes by public servants.
In amendments contained in the Finance Bill, Githae proposed to have excise duty levied on money transfer services by mobile phones, banks and money transfer agencies and other financial services by 10 percent.
This will mean that the mobile money transfer services such as Airtel Money, Tangaza and M-PESA will cost customers more as the service providers recoup from the tax levied.
Airtel Money currently has more than 6,000 agents countrywide and the number is expected to grow to 8,000 by the end of the year.
The vast dealer network has now been complemented by corporate agents to enhance availability and reliability of the services countrywide, which include Posta, Uchumi Supermarkets, Pep Intermedius (Nakumatt), Tuskys, Muramati Sacco, Housing Finance, Cooperative Bank and Faulu Bank.
Customers can also withdraw money from their Airtel Money accounts at any Pesa Point and Family bank ATMs countrywide without needing an ATM card, giving Airtel Money a strong countrywide presence to the benefit of its customers.
Bhargava noted that regular money transfer users send up to Sh10,000 per month and will benefit with Airtel Money as they will make savings of Sh400 on sending fees per month, which translates to 4 percent savings on money sent.
He added that the company will also put emphasis on the education of its customers on the benefits of using Airtel Money mobile commerce solutions emphasising that the product that uses the Kiswahili tagline ‘pesa mkononi’, which means “money in your hands”, will continue to offer locally relevant and simplified M-Commerce solutions with more partners to enhance the daily lives of customers.
