On various occasions, I have heard people narrate experiences citing numerous issues pertaining to dubious transactional outcomes while using the M-Pesa service. Sample questionable matters that have been raised include incomplete transactions, disputable account balances, money disappearances etc. Hitherto, I have been tempted to dismiss them as naive users of systems or even rumor peddlers. However, I got an experience this weak that has fairly shaken my confidence in the M-Pesa process chain.<br>
<br>Here is a chronology of events:<br><br>-Tuesday 03/10/2011: I send money to one Evan Chege for an agreed mission. The following transaction details are sent to me- BR68XQ537 Confirmed, Ksh 15,030 sent to EVAN CHEGE 0712437150 on 3/10/2011 AT 5:37PM<br>
-Wednesday 04/10/2011 3.30 PM- Evan Chege seeks explanation on whether I sent the money having received no notification nor e-money on his end<br>-Wednesday 04/10/2011 3.30 PM- I presume that Evan Chege is lying to me, since I have a transactional delivery notification<br>
-Wednesday 04/10/2011 7.37 PM- BR77CO072 Confirmed. Ksh4,100.00 sent to Charles Karithi 0724017539 on 4/10/11 at 7:37PM New M-PESA balance is <b style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Ksh2,478.00</b><br>-Wednesday 04/10/2011 8.09 PM- BR77IJ875 You bought airtimeKsh200.00 of airtime on 4/10/11 at 8:09 PM New M-PESA balance is<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> <b>Ksh17,338.00</b></span><br>
-Wednesday 04/10/2011 8.11 PM Up to now- Tried to access customer help line to no success- Only prerecorded messages playing for an infinite duration<br><br><b>Outstanding Concerns</b><br><ul><li>Does this mean that the M-PESA system at times sends false confirmation notifications to customers. How many times might this have happened?</li>
<li>Why did the balance in the above instance rise from Ksh 2478.00 to Ksh 17,338.00 without any narration. Could this difference be the Ksh 15,030 that I had earlier sent to Evan Chege. If so why was it returned secretly? <br>
</li><li>Why was the transaction charged yet it was not consummated? </li><li>Now that the mobile money service is rolling billions worth of client money are there any system assurance checks to guarantee safety of transactions?</li>
<li>Is there a dedicated agency that monitors mobile money transactions? Who takes responsibility for failure and how are potential disputes set to be resolved? Or is there a presumption that the mobile money innovations are bound to be flawless even as they scale up?</li>
</ul>Kamotho Njenga<br><br><br>