“Pochi la Biashara” a product launched by Safaricom last year has tremendously been helpful to the business community in Kiambu town to manage their finances prudently.
The product is mainly used by food vendors, small kiosk owners,boda boda riders, second hands clothes vendors, greengrocers among others to do business in an open and easy way.
Pochi la Biashara also enables owners of small business to receive and make payments from m-pesa central point called a wallet without revealing the customers’ phone number which instills confidentiality during the transactions.
The product further enables business owners to receive and separate money for business from that for personal purposes on their m-pesa accounts, thus helping them to plan for the future or for the businesses’ growth.
The transaction does not need paperwork since it’s just a simple sign-up process. Just by dialing *334# on the M-pesa and select Pochi La Biashara. You opt-in and view the menu to access the products.
A customer at the Kiambu market, Mary Njoroge, said that “Pochi La Biashara” was easier to use compared to the usual Lipa na Mpesa product which calls on the user to insert the option of if one needs to pay a bill or purchase goods or services.In addition, it allows one to pay for services and products directly to the owner’s Pochi La Biashara account and through this mode, money cannot be lost.
The chairman of the Business Committee at Kiambu market, Mr. George Mwenje who is also, a second-hand dealer at the market said Pochi la Biashara was a very good product.
“Amid Covid 19 pandemic when customers dread to exchange hard cash, Pochi La Biashara came in hand and helped the businesses thrive at a faster rate.
Mr.Mwenje while talking to KNA from his stall yesterday, said the product guarantees privacy between the business owners and the customers as there is no display of a mobile number on Mpesa message for payments.”
A food vendor at Kiambu market, Faith Mumbi is a day to day user of Pochi La Biashara said it has come in very handy. “Before Pochi la Biashara was introduced, customers used to reverse their payments and we could do nothing about it. But with the latest product, money cannot be reversed without me as the owner approving it. It has also enabled me to be able to separate my business funds from my personal funds which help be to gauge the growth of my business.”
She further noted that the introduction of the product in the market had really helped the informal business owners to manage their funds without having to use the bank.
Pochi la Biashara is a product that was launched by Safaricom on the 27th October 2020 to celebrate its 20th anniversary since the company was founded.
By Lydia Shiloya and Belinda Kioko
