Customer pay-in
A customer pay-in is the payment a customer makes to your business through M-Pesa, the supported method in Kenya, started from your website or platform. Customer payouts are optional operations and are confirmed per project.
Payment gateway for merchants
Accept mpesa payments from customers through one gateway
Collect M-Pesa pay-ins from customers in Kenya on your website or platform. Connect through an H2H API integration or a hosted payment page, and receive transaction status on your backend.
Supported method: M-Pesa onlyH2H API or hosted pageSame-day merchant settlements (T+0)Postbacks with transaction status
Merchant operations
Why mobile money matters for checkout in Kenya
Mobile money is a major retail payment channel in Kenya, so a checkout without it can leave customers without a familiar way to pay. Adding M-Pesa lets customers complete an online order through mobile money. When you plan mpesa payments for a website or app, the practical questions are how customers start a payment, how you learn the result and when funds reach you.
Payment systems policy is overseen by the Central Bank of Kenya, and payment service providers operate under the National Payment System Act 2011 and the NPS Regulations 2014. PaymentGatewayKenya is a payment gateway that lets merchants accept M-Pesa. We do not operate the mobile money service itself.
Merchant operations
How a customer payment moves through your checkout
Each order follows the same pattern: the customer pays, the gateway reports the status, and your platform shows the outcome. Merchants often describe the customer side using terms such as STK push, PayBill or Till number.
Status to your backend
Transaction status for each payment is delivered to your backend through postbacks. Your system receives the result and uses it to update the order, whether the pay-in succeeded or did not complete.
Your platform shows the result
Once the postback arrives, your platform updates its records and shows the outcome to the customer. This step sits on your side, so your backend decides what the customer sees after a successful or unsuccessful M-Pesa payment.
Merchant operations
When a gateway fits better than building direct
Some merchants consider connecting directly to an operator API and building every part of the collection flow themselves. A gateway gives you a ready connection path instead: you integrate through an H2H API or a hosted payment page. The choice depends on how much of the payment flow you want to build and maintain in-house.
Choose a gateway if you prefer an H2H API or hosted payment page over building the operator connection yourself.
With a gateway, you still need a backend that receives postbacks and updates order records with each transaction status.
Eligibility and required documents are confirmed during onboarding, before your integration goes live.
Merchant operations
Three steps to start accepting M-Pesa in Kenya
Getting started involves a project review, an integration and testing phase, and a coordinated launch. Each step is handled with our team before live payments begin.
1
Share your project
Tell us about your business, where it is registered, your expected volume and typical payment amounts. International businesses can apply too. Eligibility and documents are confirmed during onboarding, and processing fees and transaction limits are agreed for your project.
2
Integrate and test
Connect through the H2H API or the hosted payment page, then set up your backend to receive postbacks. Test successful payments and unfinished ones, such as pending or failed payments, so your records and customer messages stay correct.
3
Coordinate the launch
Agree the go-live timing with our team and switch to live M-Pesa pay-ins. After launch, follow transactions in your merchant account statistics and use CSV reports to check payments against your own records.
Merchant operations
What the gateway gives your finance and tech teams
These six points cover settlement timing, transaction results, status handling, reporting and how connection pricing works when you add payment methods to your existing account.
Same-day settlements
Merchant settlements are sent on the same day (T+0). This timing refers to when settlements are sent from our side.
85% success rate
Our overall transaction success rate is 85%, measured as successful transactions divided by all transactions. It is an aggregate figure, not a per-method guarantee.
Postback status updates
Transaction status reaches your backend through postbacks. Your platform then updates its records and shows the outcome to each customer.
Statistics and CSV reports
Statistics are available in your merchant account. CSV transaction reports support payment checks, so finance teams can compare gateway data with their own records.
Add methods later
Existing merchants can add supported payment methods at no additional connection cost. Processing fees are still agreed per project.
One connection price
The number of enabled payment methods does not affect the connection price, which keeps connection costs simple to plan.
Merchant operations
How we protect access and operations
Security on this page covers three areas: the credentials your integration uses, how access is controlled, and how we prepare for disruptions and respond to incidents.
We protect the integration API credentials that connect your platform to the gateway.
Access control includes multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access.
We maintain business-continuity planning and incident-response procedures for our operations.
Is M-Pesa the only payment method supported in Kenya?
Yes. M-Pesa is the only payment method we support for customers in Kenya. Card payments and bank transfers are not part of the Kenyan setup, so your checkout and backend should be built around mobile money pay-ins and the postbacks that report each transaction status.
What is the difference between settlements and payouts?
Settlements send money to your business, while payouts send money to your customers. Merchant settlements are sent on the same day (T+0). Customer payouts are optional and confirmed per project. Both sit alongside customer pay-ins and CSV reports as platform operations.
Can an international company use this gateway?
Yes, international businesses can apply to accept M-Pesa payments from customers in Kenya. Eligibility and the documents you need are confirmed during onboarding. Share details about your company, where it is registered and what you sell, and our team will tell you what the review requires before integration starts.
How are fees and limits set?
Processing fees and transaction limits are agreed per project after you share your expected volume and typical payment amounts in KES. Separately, the number of enabled payment methods does not affect the connection price. To get terms for your business, contact our team with your volume estimate, average order value and the type of products or services you sell.
Does checkout work inside an Android app?
Not natively. For Android projects, customers complete payment on a browser-hosted payment page, so this is not a fully native in-app checkout. Your app sends the customer to the payment page, and your backend receives the transaction status through postbacks so your platform can update the order and show the result.
Related payment solutions
Kenya payment gateway overview · Explore online checkout integration
Discuss mpesa payments for your customers in Kenya
Tell us about your platform, expected volume and typical amounts. Our team will confirm eligibility, discuss an H2H API or hosted payment page setup, and agree fees and limits for your project.
Contact the team