PSPs · M-PESA · KENYA · MERCHANTS
Choosing among payment service providers in Kenya starts with how your customers pay and how much integration work your team can take on. This guide sets out the criteria to check, the main types of provider and a neutral comparison of each route.
Most Kenyan customers expect to pay with M-Pesa, so any provider you shortlist should handle M-Pesa collections reliably. Beyond that, the right choice depends on your stack, your payout needs and who maintains the integration. For the M-Pesa basics, see our M-Pesa payments overview.
Start with the operational questions, not the sales pitch. Ask each provider the same questions in writing so you can compare like for like.
For a wider view of how gateways compare, read our guide to the best payment gateway in Kenya.
Merchants in Kenya usually choose between three routes. Each one shifts the integration and maintenance work to a different party.
A gateway connects your website or app to M-Pesa through one integration. Payment Gateway Kenya offers M-Pesa pay-ins, plus payouts where confirmed for the account, through an API (H2H) or a Hosted Payment Page.
Your developers connect straight to Safaricom's Daraja APIs. M-PESA Express (Lipa na M-PESA Online) is the prompt-style request started by a business, referred to as 'STK Push' in Safaricom documentation, while PayBill and Till are separate transaction types. Your team owns the build, testing and ongoing maintenance.
Global providers are often built around card payments and may not support M-Pesa or Kenyan merchant accounts. Check each provider's own supported-country list before you plan around it.
This table compares the routes on operational criteria only. It deliberately leaves out fees and licences, which you should confirm directly with each provider.
| Criterion | Local M-Pesa gateway | Direct Daraja integration | International gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who builds the integration | Your team integrates once with the gateway | Your team builds directly against Safaricom's APIs | Your team integrates with the provider's API or plugins |
| M-Pesa support | Core focus; confirm which flows are enabled | Direct access to Daraja transaction types | Varies; check the provider's own documentation |
| Connection options | Typically API and/or hosted payment page | API only | Typically API, hosted checkout or plugins |
| Ongoing maintenance | Shared with the gateway | Fully on your team | Shared with the provider |
| Transaction status to your system | Provided by the gateway, for example postbacks | Handled through Daraja callbacks you build for | Provided by the provider, for example webhooks |
| Availability for Kenyan businesses | Built for the Kenyan market | Available to eligible Safaricom business customers | Check the provider's supported-country list |
| What to confirm in writing | Methods, flows, settlement timing, pricing in KES | Account type, credentials, go-live steps | Country eligibility, methods, settlement currency |
Payment Gateway Kenya is a payment gateway for M-Pesa pay-ins, plus payouts where confirmed for the account. In Kenya, the supported method is M-Pesa only.
Connect through the API (H2H) or the Hosted Payment Page. These are two ways into the same gateway, not separate products, and H2H is not white-label.
Pay-in is when your customer pays you. Payout is when your business pays a customer. Merchant settlement is when funds are sent to you. Each flow is handled and reported separately.
Postbacks send transaction status to your system so you can update orders. They are not a customer notification service.
Merchant settlements are sent on the same day (T+0). Our overall transaction success rate is 85%, measured as successful transactions divided by all transactions.
Illustrative flow: the steps below show a typical M-Pesa pay-in. Your exact sequence depends on the connection route you choose.
Your customer selects M-Pesa at checkout on your site or on the Hosted Payment Page.
The gateway starts the M-Pesa payment request and the customer confirms it on their phone.
A postback sends the transaction status to your server so you can confirm or cancel the order.
Merchant settlement follows as its own flow, separate from the pay-in.
Internally, we protect API credentials, use MFA and role-based access, and maintain business continuity planning and incident response. Pricing is Custom / Talk to sales. See pricing or ask our team for details.
Short answers to the questions merchants and developers ask most often when comparing providers. For anything not covered here, ask our team.
A payment service provider lets your business accept payments from customers and, in some cases, send payouts. In Kenya, this usually means handling M-Pesa, either through a direct Safaricom Daraja integration, a local gateway or an international gateway.
A direct Daraja integration gives you access to Safaricom's APIs, but your team builds and maintains everything. A gateway gives you one integration and shares the maintenance work. The right choice depends on your developer capacity and the flows you need.
In Kenya, Payment Gateway Kenya supports M-Pesa only. It offers M-Pesa pay-ins, plus payouts where confirmed for the account.
Merchant settlements are sent on the same day (T+0). This describes when settlement is sent, not when funds are credited to your account.
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.
Kenya was not on Shopify's official Shopify Payments country list when checked on 5 November 2026. Check Shopify's current list before you plan your checkout, and ask our team about your options.
Payment services operate within the framework of the Central Bank of Kenya and the National Payment System Act 2011. Check any provider's regulatory position directly and take your own legal advice.
Pricing is Custom / Talk to sales. Contact our team with details of your business and the flows you need.
Tell us how you sell, which flows you need and how you would like to connect. Our team will confirm what is available for your account and talk you through pricing. Get started.