KCB Group is telling customers to pay merchants, bills and government fees from the KCB Mobile Banking App instead of moving money to a mobile wallet first.
The bank says the extra step costs customers about Sh26 for every Sh1,000 they spend.
Kevin Matthews Okeyo, a senior manager for digital experience in KCB’s digital financial services unit, explained the Common Cents campaign on TV47 Breakfast. He said KCB studied customer behaviour and found that many people move money from their account to a mobile wallet before paying, even though the app can make the payment directly.
Where the Sh26 comes from
Matthews said a customer who spends Sh1,000 first pays a fee to move the money from the bank account to a wallet. The customer then pays a second fee, because most merchants pass their charge on to the buyer. He put that charge at about Sh13 on a bill payment. The two fees add up to about Sh26, or 2.6 per cent of the amount.
At that rate, a household that sends Sh30,000 a month through both steps pays Sh780 a month, or Sh9,360 a year. This is an illustration based on KCB’s estimate, not a figure from the bank. Fees vary by amount, bank and payment provider.
Matthews asked customers to check their own numbers by downloading a September statement and adding up every fee. “Start calculating how much you’re being charged,” he said. Customers could then put the savings into a money market fund or an emergency fund, a route Khusoko covers in its personal finance coverage.
Pay the till without the wallet
Merchants who display the Lipa na KCB number 522533 can be paid from the app. The customer selects Lipa na KCB, enters the number and pays. KCB says the payment is free when it stays inside the bank’s system. Paying the same number from a mobile money wallet attracts charges.
The app also pays mobile money till numbers, Buy Goods and Pay Bill. Matthews did not say whether those payments carry a fee.
Deposits work the other way. Customers tap deposit in the app, and it sends a prompt to their mobile money account. They enter the PIN and the money lands in the bank account. This removes the need to remember the long account number.
Government fees and utility bills
KCB has linked the app to eCitizen, the government payments platform. Customers can renew a driving licence, pay for a passport or pay national park fees from the app. The app also covers parking, permits and other charges in several counties.
Daily utilities are covered too. Customers can buy KPLC tokens, pay prepaid or postpaid electricity, pay water bills and buy airtime. Matthews said mobile money is not the only option.
Savings, Simba Points and loans
Goal Savings lets customers set money aside for a target. Matthews pointed to December travel as an example and urged people to start now. KCB recently added a money market fund to the app. It also offers a virtual card for online payments such as social media advertising, and Western Union remittances paid directly into the app.
Customers earn Simba Points on transactions after they enrol, through the app’s main menu or by dialling *522#. KCB lets customers redeem the points for airtime and cash, among other rewards.
On loans, Matthews said KCB mobile loans run from one day up to 365 days. He contrasted them with 30 day loans that he said strain a borrower’s salary cycle and push people to borrow from one lender to repay another. He said customers who feel overwhelmed by debt can visit a branch.
The Central Bank has also replaced its digital lender rules with a new credit regime, which changes the rules for non bank lenders.
Fraud checks
Matthews said customers should never share their PIN, including with relatives. KCB does not call customers to ask for a PIN or to reverse a transaction, he said. A customer who gets such a call should hang up and phone the bank’s contact centre. He also advised customers not to take calls or act on texts in the middle of a transaction.
Customers who need help can open Help and Support in the app and tap WhatsApp. That link opens the bank’s official channel. A customer who loses a phone cannot be accessed on a replacement SIM alone, he said, because the app runs further checks. Customers can also set their own spending limits.
The warnings come as the Central Bank of Kenya reports more frequent phishing, ransomware and denial of service attacks on financial institutions. It is updating its 2017 cybersecurity guidance for banks.
Why fees matter now
Central Bank of Kenya data shows registered mobile money accounts reached 95.31 million in August 2026, up from 82.43 million in December 2024. Active agents numbered 563,605, and monthly agent cash in and cash out transactions were worth Sh761.13 billion in August.
Growth in accounts has not meant more spending through them. The Central Bank’s Bank Supervision Annual Report 2025 shows monthly mobile money transactions fell 30 per cent to 217.58 million in 2025 from 309.28 million in 2024.
Their value fell 4 per cent to Sh722.53 billion from Sh753.45 billion. The report says customers made fewer low value transfers and combined payments into fewer, larger ones. It links the shift to merchant payments and mobile banking. The same report named KCB Bank Kenya the most profitable lender in 2025, with Sh63.7 billion in pre-tax profit.
Bank agents show the same pattern. Transactions through bank agents fell 20.2 per cent to 113.5 million in 2025, which the Central Bank attributes to competition from mobile money and internet banking.
Fees remain part of the picture. The Central Bank waived wallet and bank transfer fees in 2020 and restored them from January 2023, with maximum charges cut by an average of 61 per cent for bank to wallet transfers. Its National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2025 to 2028 lists lower transaction costs among its priorities.
KCB’s director of digital financial services, Angela Mwirigi, has framed the campaign around that pressure. “Every single cent I make is mine. How is this cent also working?” she said.
Asked how fewer fees would affect the bank’s income, Matthews said he would not discuss the business model. He said KCB aims to be customers’ financial partner through life.
How to start
The KCB App is available on Google Play and the App Store, and new customers can open an account or wallet from the app. Customers without data can use *522#.
Matthews also asked shoppers to point out the 522533 number to merchants and ask how KCB serves them.
