ABOUT · M-PESA · KENYA

About Payment Gateway Kenya

Payment Gateway Kenya is a payment gateway built around M-Pesa for merchants, e-commerce owners and developers in Kenya. This page explains what it does, who it suits, how we work and what we deliberately leave out.

Get started See the M-Pesa gateway

Payment Gateway Kenya focuses on one method in Kenya: M-Pesa. Merchants use it to collect M-Pesa pay-ins and, where confirmed for the account, to send payouts. You can read the detail on our M-Pesa gateway page.

M-Pesa pay-ins, plus payouts where confirmed for your account

Two connection routes into the same gateway:

API (H2H) or Hosted Payment Page

Postbacks that send transaction status to your system

Merchant settlements are sent on the same day (T+0)

Custom pricing:

talk to sales

What Payment Gateway Kenya does

Payment Gateway Kenya sits between your checkout and M-Pesa. Your customer pays with M-Pesa, the gateway records the result and your system receives the transaction status. You decide what happens next, such as confirming an order or releasing a service.

We keep three flows separate because they serve different purposes. Mixing them up is a common source of confusion in reconciliation, so we name them clearly.

The three flows handled by Payment Gateway Kenya
Flow	Who pays	Who receives	Notes
Pay-in	Your customer	Your business, via the gateway	Customer pays with M-Pesa
Payout	Your business	Your customer	Available where confirmed for the account
Merchant settlement	The gateway	Your business	Merchant settlements are sent on the same day (T+0)

On settlement, T+0 describes when the settlement is sent, not when funds appear in your account. Crediting depends on the receiving side, so ask our team if you need to plan around it.

API (H2H)

Your server talks directly to the gateway. This suits developers who want control over the checkout and order logic. H2H is a direct integration, not a white-label product.

Read about the M-Pesa API

Hosted Payment Page

Your customer is sent to a payment page we host to complete the M-Pesa payment. This suits teams that prefer less integration work on their own site.

How to accept M-Pesa on your website

Both routes lead into the same gateway; they are not separate products. Postbacks send transaction status to your system. They are not a service for notifying your customers, so customer messages remain your responsibility.

Illustrative flow: customer checks out
The customer chooses M-Pesa on your checkout, either via your API integration or the Hosted Payment Page.
Illustrative flow: payment request
A payment request is started for the customer to approve on their phone. Safaricom's Daraja documentation calls this prompt-style request M-PESA Express (Lipa na M-PESA Online), often called 'STK Push' in the market.
Illustrative flow: status to merchant
The gateway sends a postback with the transaction status to your system.
Illustrative flow: order handling
Your system updates the order and handles any customer communication.

PayBill and Till are separate M-Pesa transaction types from M-PESA Express. If you are weighing Daraja against a gateway, our guide on Safaricom Daraja for merchants sets out the differences.

Who Payment Gateway Kenya is for

Payment Gateway Kenya is for businesses that want M-Pesa as their payment method and need it connected to a website, app backend or order system. See our solutions overview for common merchant set-ups.

E-commerce owners

Online shops that want customers to pay with M-Pesa at checkout, using the Hosted Payment Page or an API integration.

WooCommerce and M-Pesa

Developers

Teams building their own checkout who want an API (H2H) connection and postbacks with transaction status.

Daraja vs a payment gateway

Businesses sending payouts

Merchants that need to pay customers as well as collect from them. Payouts are available where confirmed for the account.

Explore solutions

Shopify merchants

Kenya was not on Shopify's official Shopify Payments country list when checked on 5 November 2026. We do not promise any app, plugin or automatic install, so ask our team about your options.

Shopify and M-Pesa in Kenya

How we work with merchants

We prefer plain principles over promises. These are the ones we work to.

Say only what we can stand behind. If something is not confirmed for your account, we tell you rather than assume.
Keep flows separate. Pay-ins, payouts and merchant settlements are tracked and described as distinct flows.
Report one honest figure. Our overall transaction success rate is 85%, measured as successful transactions divided by all transactions. It is a product-wide figure, not a guarantee for any individual merchant.
Price by conversation. Pricing is custom, so talk to sales rather than relying on a published rate card.
Follow sensible internal practices. These include protecting API credentials, multi-factor authentication and role-based access, business continuity planning and incident response.

What we do not do

Being clear about limits saves everyone time. In Kenya, Payment Gateway Kenya is M-Pesa only.

No card payments in Kenya. Where card flows exist on the wider product, they are 3D-only.
No 2D or non-3DS card processing, anywhere. Our page on 2D payment gateways explains why.
No other methods in Kenya, including Airtel Money, PesaLink or bank transfers.
No crypto gateway, SMS billing, standalone QR codes, standalone payment links or in-app SDK.
No customer notification service. Postbacks go to the merchant, not the customer.
No white-label offering through H2H.

If you need a method we do not cover, our overview of payment methods in Kenya can help you compare options.

Contact us through Get started

The quickest way to reach us is the Get started form. Tell us about your business, how you take orders today and whether you need pay-ins, payouts or both.

Our team will come back to you on fit, connection route and pricing. If you have questions about settlement or what is confirmed for your account, raise them at this stage.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions merchants ask most about Payment Gateway Kenya. For anything not covered here, ask our team.

What is Payment Gateway Kenya?

Payment Gateway Kenya is a payment gateway for M-Pesa pay-ins in Kenya, plus payouts where confirmed for the account. Merchants connect through an API (H2H) or a Hosted Payment Page.

Which payment methods does Payment Gateway Kenya support in Kenya?

M-Pesa only. We do not offer cards, Airtel Money, PesaLink or bank transfers in Kenya.

Are the API and the Hosted Payment Page different products?

No. They are two ways into the same gateway. The API (H2H) suits teams building their own checkout, while the Hosted Payment Page needs less integration work. H2H is not white-label.

When are merchant settlements sent?

Merchant settlements are sent on the same day (T+0). This describes when settlement is sent, not when funds are credited to your account.

What is your transaction success rate?

Our overall transaction success rate is 85%, measured as successful transactions divided by all transactions. It is a product-wide figure and not a guarantee for any individual merchant.

Do postbacks notify my customers?

No. Postbacks send transaction status to your system. Any messages to customers are handled by you.

How much does Payment Gateway Kenya cost?

Pricing is custom. Talk to sales through the Get started form to discuss your business.

Is Payment Gateway Kenya licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya?

The Central Bank of Kenya and the National Payment System Act 2011 form the regulatory context for payments in Kenya. This page makes no licence or approval claims, so ask our team if you have specific compliance questions.

Ready to accept M-Pesa?

If M-Pesa is the method your customers use, Payment Gateway Kenya gives you a direct way to collect it through an API or a Hosted Payment Page. Start with the Get started form and our team will take it from there.

Talk to sales Explore solutions