Safaricom customers were left both surprised and delighted on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, after reports emerged that Fuliza, the company’s popular overdraft facility, had experienced an unexpected glitch.
Normally, whenever a customer’s M-Pesa account is credited, Fuliza immediately deducts any outstanding balance before the user can access their funds. However, users noticed that the automatic deductions had stopped working, allowing them to access their money without repayments being taken out first.
The anomaly quickly gained traction on social media, with customers sharing screenshots and humorous takes on the situation. Many joked that Fuliza had “taken a nap” or “forgotten to chew its dues,” while others compared the rare pause to receiving an unexpected financial holiday.
“I received money this morning and for the first time in years, Fuliza did not touch it. This must be what freedom feels like,” one customer posted, capturing the lighthearted mood online.
Despite the jokes, the temporary failure raised questions about the reliability of the system. Fuliza has become an essential financial tool for millions of Kenyans, offering instant overdraft services that bridge short-term cash gaps. Because of its widespread use, even a brief glitch can have significant impacts both for customers and for Safaricom.
As of Tuesday evening, the telecommunications giant had not yet issued an official statement addressing the outage. However, industry experts suggest the interruption is likely to be a technical fault that will soon be resolved.
While many Kenyans are reveling in the unexpected break from deductions, financial analysts have cautioned customers against celebrating too soon. Once the system is restored, it is expected that pending deductions will still be applied, meaning users should plan accordingly.
For now, though, customers continue to enjoy a rare moment of reprieve—an unusual day when Fuliza “looked the other way.”
