City Lawyer Cliff Ombeta has threatened legal action against Safaricom after his M-Pesa account was allegedly suspended without prior notice, an incident he says caused public embarrassment and raised concerns about consumer rights in Kenya’s mobile money system.
Ombeta says the issue arose on December 19, 2025, when he attempted to make a routine M-Pesa payment at Bistro Café, Rubis, Madaraka. The transaction reportedly failed several times before an error message advised him to contact customer care.
According to the advocate, the failure was both unexpected and humiliating. He states that he has used the same Safaricom line for over two decades and says the sudden inability to transact using M-Pesa cast doubt on his financial credibility in a public setting.
Ombeta claims he later learned that the suspension of his M-Pesa account was allegedly linked to transactions associated with Diamond Trust Bank, despite insisting that he holds no account or business relationship with the bank.
In an effort to resolve the matter, Ombeta says he visited several Safaricom customer care outlets, including branches at Yaya Centre and Junction Mall. During the visits, he was issued with receipt number MI206 and attended to by staff, but the issue remained unresolved.
He further alleges that he was referred to Diamond Trust Bank for clarification, only to be redirected back to Safaricom, creating confusion over which institution had the authority to unlock the M-Pesa account.
In a formal demand letter, Ombeta invokes constitutional protections on fair administrative action and quality service, accusing the mobile service provider of acting arbitrarily and without prior notice. He has demanded that his M-Pesa account be reinstated within two hours of receipt of the letter.
The advocate has also demanded an acknowledgment of liability for the suspension, warning that failure to comply will trigger immediate legal proceedings at Safaricom’s expense.
The dispute highlights growing tensions around accountability, due process, and customer protection within Kenya’s widely used mobile money ecosystem, where access to M-Pesa is increasingly central to daily personal and professional transactions.
