Pochi La Biashara

What is Pochi la Biashara?

This is a product that allows M-PESA to register customers who own informal businesses such as: food vendors, kiosk owners, boda-boda operators, secondhand clothes dealers among others, to receive and separate business funds from personal funds on their M-PESA number.

Which channels are used by customers to pay to Pochi la Biashara?

Customers can pay to Pochi merchant using.

M-PESA App
USSD *334#
Safaricom Toolkit Menu (STK)

Will the Pochi merchant be issued with a new SIM card or till number?

No new mobile number or till will be issued. Pochi la Biashara will be activated on the existing SIM card that is registered n M-PESA. It will therefore use the same mobile number as M-PESA.

How much money can the Pochi la Biashara account hold?

Since the M-PESA and Pochi accounts are on the same SIM card, the two accounts will share the allowed maximum balance limit of KSh 300,000. Therefore, in total, the balance in the M-PESA and Pochi accounts cannot exceed KSh. 300,000.

What are the transaction value limits for Pochi la Biashara?

Normal M-PESA limits of KSh 150,000 per transaction and KSh 300,000 per day apply.

How do customers make payments to Pochi la Biashara merchants?

The customers can use the following procedures to make payments to Pochi la Biashara merchant.

On M-PESA App

Log into the M-PESA App
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Enter the Pochi Mobile Number
Enter Amount to pay.
Enter M-PESA PIN

On *334# menu

Dial *334#
Select Send Money
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Enter the Pochi Phone Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN

SIM Toolkit (Safaricom) Menu

Open the Safaricom Menu
Select M-PESA
Select Lipa na M-PESA
Enter the Pochi Phone Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN

Important to note: Customers who do not have the refreshed menu on M-PESA can refresh the M-PESA menu by:

Selecting M-PESA on the SIM Toolkit Menu
Select My Account
Select Update Customer Menu and enter their M-PESA PIN to complete the menu update.

Replace SIM cards at the nearest Safaricom Retail Shop or Care Desks– if they have the old SIM cards

Which channels are used to access Pochi la Biashara by business owners?

The service is accessed through:

M-PESA App.
USSD, *334#

Currently on the M-PESA App the merchants can access a few services which includes.

Move money from Pochi to their M-PESA account.
Pay to Buy Goods, PayBill or mobile number.
Opt out

How can a merchant move money from Pochi to M-PESA account?

Merchants can use M-PESA App or USSD to move money from Pochi to M-PESA account.

Move money via the M-PESA App

Launch M-PESA App
Click on the icon at the top left conner of the App screen.
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Select Move Money
Select account.
Pochi to M-PESA or
M-PESA to Pochi
Enter Amount and click on continue.
Confirm the transfer.
Enter M-PESA PIN

Move money via USSD.

To move money using the USSD merchant will

Dial *334#

Select Pochi La Biashara
Select Move Money
Select respective accounts either Pochi to M-PESA or M-PESA to Pochi
Enter Amount
Confirm and accept.
Enter M-PESA PIN

How can a merchant send money from their Pochi La Biashara account to another Pochi account?

Currently this can only be done via USSD. Merchants will be required to:

Dial *334#
Select Pochi La Biashara
Select Send Money
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Enter Phone Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN.

How will a merchant send money from Pochi to a mobile number/ M-PESA account of another user?

The merchant can use either the M-PESA App or USSD to send money to a mobile number.

Send money via the M-PESA App

On the App merchant will

Launch M-PESA App
Click on the icon at the top left conner of the screen.
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Select Pay
Select Mobile Number
Enter Mobile Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN

Send money via USSD.

To move money using the USSD merchant will

Dial *334#
Select Pochi La Biashara
Select Send Money
Select Send Money
Enter Mobile Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN

How can merchants withdraw funds in their Pochi la Biashara account?

The Pochi merchant can withdraw funds at an M-PESA agent by:

Dialing *334#
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Select Withdraw Cash
Enter Agent Number
Enter Store Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN

How can a merchant Sell Airtime from Pochi la Biashara account?

To sell airtime the customer will use USSD.

Dial *334#
Select Pochi La Biashara
Select Sell Airtime
Select Sell Airtime
Enter the buyer Phone Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN.

Selling airtime will earn the merchant a commission of 5% of the value of airtime sold.

How can a merchant buy airtime for themselves from Pochi la Biashara?

Dial *334#
Select Pochi La Biashara
Select Sell Airtime
Select Buy for My Number
Enter Amount
Confirm and accept.
Enter M-PESA PIN.

No commission is paid where one buys airtime for themselves

How can a merchant use Lipa na Pochi to make payments to Buy Goods or PayBill?

Lipa na Pochi is a service found on USSD that enables merchants to pay to PayBill or Buy Goods Till with money from their Pochi account.

Lipa na Pochi on M-PESA App

On the App merchant will

Launch M-PESA App
Click on the icon at the top left conner of the screen.
Select Pay
To pay to a Buy Goods till, select Buy Goods and Services >>Enter till number.
To pay to a Paybill, select PayBill >> Enter Business Number>> Enter Account Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN

Lipa na Pochi on USSD

Dial *334#
Select Pochi La Biashara
Select Lipa na Pochi.
To pay to a Buy Goods till, select Buy Goods and Services >>Enter till number.
To pay to a Paybill, select PayBill >> Enter Business Number>> Enter Account Number
Enter Amount
Enter M-PESA PIN

What purpose does Know more about Pochi La Biashara menu serve?

The ‘Know more about Pochi’ feature allows business owners to access frequently asked questions (FAQs) and learn more about this innovative product. To access this feature, the business owner will:

Dial*334#
Selects Pochi La Biashara
Select Know more about Pochi and the FAQs will be displayed.

What is Biashara Smart?

To help boost Pochi la Biashara merchant business, Safaricom has offered subsidized bundles that are affordable to the merchants. To access your offer: To access this feature, the business owner will:

Dial*334#
Selects Pochi La Biashara
Select Biashara Smart
Select Daily or Monthly bundles and proceed to purchase using funds in the Pochi la Biashara account

How can customers leave the service/opt out?

On the M-PESA App,

Launch the app,
Click on the Pochi la Biashara icon at the top right of the screen.
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Click on the three dots at the top right of the screen.
Select Opt out.

To opt out of Pochi using USSD merchant will:

Customer will dial *334#
Select Pochi la Biashara.
Select My Account
Select Leave this Service.
Confirm by selecting option 1 (Yes) and they will receive an SMS confirmation that they have been opted out of the service.

Note: Upon opting out, any funds on the Pochi account will instantly be moved to the personal M-PESA account.