Former Machakos County First Lady Lilian Ng’ang’a has proposed tougher measures against people who refuse to return money mistakenly sent to them through mobile money, suggesting that their phone lines should be disabled.
In a statement shared on her Instagram page on Monday, March 16, 2026, Ng’ang’a said technological systems should evolve to protect users from losses caused by accidental transfers.
She argued that individuals who knowingly keep money sent to them in error should face consequences to discourage the habit.
“Keeping up with the times means adapting systems that save time and reduce costs. A bit extreme, but Safaricom should disable phone lines of people who refuse to reverse money sent to them by mistake. I know a lot of people have lost money to such crooks,” she wrote.
Her remarks resonated with many Kenyans, as accidental transfers are a common occurrence due to the widespread use of mobile money, particularly the popular M-Pesa platform operated by Safaricom.
Millions of users rely on the service daily to pay rent, buy goods, send school fees, and support relatives across the country, increasing the chances of sending money to the wrong number due to typing errors.
When such mistakes occur, there is an official process that allows users to request a reversal. A sender can forward the original transaction message to 456 within a short period after sending the money, which triggers a reversal request in the system.
Safaricom then contacts the recipient and asks them to approve the return of the funds. If the money is still available in the account and the recipient agrees, the amount is sent back to the original sender.
In many cases, feedback on the request is provided within a few hours. However, reversals are not always successful.
The process depends on whether the money is still in the recipient’s account and whether the type of transaction qualifies for reversal.
Some payments, especially those made to businesses or paybill numbers, may require additional verification or the involvement of the receiving organisation.
Because of these limitations, many Kenyans end up relying on the goodwill of the recipient, a situation that Ng’ang’a believes should change through stricter enforcement measures.