Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has alleged that Safaricom PLC shut down the “Paybill ya Mwananchi” service following what he described as “orders from above.”
In a statement shared on Facebook on July 23, Sifuna claimed the mobile telecommunications company had disabled the paybill after receiving instructions from undisclosed individuals.
“Safaricom PLC wamefunga paybill ya mwananchi after ‘orders from above’,” Sifuna said.
The Linda Mwananchi initiative also acknowledged that its Paybill service was unavailable, attributing the disruption to technical issues.
In a notice issued to supporters, the initiative said it was working with the service provider to restore the payment option.
“ We are currently experiencing technical issues with the Paybill mode of payment. We have reached out to the provider to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Kindly bear with us. Thank you for your patience and understanding!” the notice read.
The notice identified the affected payment details as Paybill 3033049, with users instructed to use their phone numbers as the account number when making contributions.
The statement, however, did not explain the cause of the technical issues or indicate when the service would be restored.
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Sifuna Introduced Paybill to Fund Linda Mwananchi Activities
Just two days before the reported disruption,Sifuna unveiled Paybill Number 3033049 as the official fundraising platform for the Linda Mwananchi movement, urging Kenyans to contribute Sh10 each to support its operations and needs.
Speaking during an interview on Mulembe FM on Tuesday, July 21, the Nairobi Senator rejected claims that the movement is financed by wealthy individuals, insisting that its activities are supported by ordinary Kenyans.
He explained that because Linda Mwananchi has not yet been registered as a political party, the paybill account had to be registered under his personal name.
“The critics should choose one battle. If I’m someone’s project, then I have money; why do they then say that I do not have money? They should choose one: either I have, or I do not have money. Either I have a sponsor, or I do not have one,” Sifuna said.
He further clarified that anyone contributing through Paybill Number 3033049 would see the account registered under “E. Sifuna.”
Sifuna also assured supporters that the movement would maintain transparency by publicly accounting for all money raised and explaining how the funds are spent.
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Linda Mwananchi Raised Over Sh2.2 Million Within a Day
The Linda Mwananchi movement announced that it had raised more than Sh2.2 million from supporters within a day of launching its fundraising campaign.
In an update shared on July 22, the initiative said it had received Sh2,210,836.82 in contributions through M-Pesa Paybill 3033049, with supporters using their phone numbers as the account number when making donations.
The milestone came just a day after the movement officially unveiled the paybill as its primary fundraising platform.
Earlier figures released by the organisers showed that 9,419 Kenyans had contributed a combined Sh519,144 on the first day of the campaign, following an appeal by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
According to the organisers, the campaign recorded an average contribution of Sh55, with the largest single donation amounting to Sh5,000 and the smallest contribution standing at Sh1.
The movement said the donations were received between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., a period of approximately 10 and a half hours, demonstrating widespread public participation in the fundraising drive.
The initiative has been encouraging supporters to contribute through M-Pesa Paybill 3033049, with contributors required to enter their phone number as the account number when making payments.
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