Safaricom has announced a scheduled system upgrade for its Fuliza overdraft service, set to take place on Monday, November 17, from 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM. The upgrade aims to enhance the reliability, security, and overall performance of the popular digital lending platform.
In a notice to customers, Safaricom highlighted that this maintenance is part of ongoing efforts to improve its digital financial products and ensure safe, secure, and worry-free services. During the one-hour window, Fuliza services may experience temporary interruptions, although other M-Pesa services will remain fully functional.
“During the maintenance period, Fuliza services may be intermittent. All other M-PESA services will remain available as usual,” the company stated. The timing was deliberately chosen to minimize inconvenience to customers, and Safaricom apologized in advance for any disruption.
Scheduled upgrades like this help patch vulnerabilities, improve processing capacity, and support backend enhancements that can accommodate new features and greater scalability. Fuliza, which allows users to complete transactions even when their M-Pesa balance is insufficient, is a key part of Kenya’s digital payment ecosystem, enabling millions of transactions daily for bills, merchant purchases, and peer-to-peer transfers.
Customers relying on Fuliza for urgent payments are advised to plan ahead and consider alternative M-Pesa options, such as direct wallet transfers or merchant payments not requiring the overdraft.
Safaricom also clarified concerns regarding Fuliza limits. Users who opt out and later opt back in may see their limit reset to zero. The allocation of limits is automated, based on a customer’s usage of Safaricom products, credit history, and repayment behavior, and cannot be manually adjusted. Customers meeting the criteria will receive a notification when their new limit is approved.
This upgrade reflects Safaricom’s commitment to improving its services while maintaining the security and convenience of its digital financial products. Customers are encouraged to check transaction status and plan their Fuliza usage around the scheduled maintenance window.
