Safaricom Pochi La Biashara 2023 (Everything To Know!)

The biggest challenge businesses owners in Kenya’s informal sectors such as food vending, local kiosks, and the boda-boda sector have is separating business finances from personal funds. Things, however, change when one uses Safaricom Pochi La Biashara.

This program by Safaricom allows you, as an informal business owner who doesn’t have a pay bill number, to receive money through your phone and separate it from personal funds. In that case, you avoid the temptation of using business funds for personal use.

Pochi La Biashara’s popularity has been heightened by the government’s directive to use cashless means as a way to combat Covid 19.

Even though things are different because of the jab, the deadly virus is still here. So, some customers still go cashless and pay via MPESA. Most of them will ask for the Lipan Na MPESA till number, and that’s where you tell them, ‘send it to my number.’ That’s it!

Let’s learn more about Pochi La Biashara.

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What Is Safaricom Pochi La Biashara?

Pochi La Biashara is a product by Safaricom that lets MPESA customers with informal businesses receive funds directly into their MPESA lines for goods or services rendered and separate them from personal funds.

Some of the biggest beneficiaries of the Pochi La Biashara initiative are boda-boda operators, food vendors, taxi drivers, second-hand clothes sellers, and local shop owners.

The exciting thing about Pochi La Biashara is that customers cannot reverse the money unless the merchant consents to it, making it safe.

Overall, here are some of its best features:

Mini-statement access
Opportunity to sell airtime and earn 5% commission
No reversal without the merchant’s consent
Paperless signup
Separation of business and personal finances

Generally, Pochi La Biashara promises these benefits to merchants:

1. Funds Separation

The primary reason why you should sign up for Pochi La Biashara as a merchant is the opportunity to separate personal cash from business funds. That allows you to stay accountable for your business finances and track every MPESA dealing.

Besides, you can request an MPESA mini statement if you want clear evidence of how much money goes into and out of business via MPESA.

2. Funds Security

As I mentioned, a customer cannot reverse the money they pay you via MPESA without your consent. That usually’s possible without Pochi La Biashara, which means your business may end up with preventable losses.

So, Pochi La Biashara protects you against unscrupulous customers who have the habit of reversing transactions to avoid paying.

3. Commission Opportunity

One of Pochi La Biashara’s most attractive perks is the opportunity to sell airtime to the people around you and receive a 5% commission. So, the more airtime you buy, the more money you make.

Mark you; those who buy airtime from you can also pay you via Pochi La Biashara to protect the funds and separate them from personal finances in your MPESA wallet.

4. Huge Transaction Limit

Pochi La Biashara allows you to transact up to Ksh 300,000 a day. That’s a big lift for those who deal with bulk MPESA transactions.

5. Saving Grace for Fuliza Customers

Most Kenyans with Fuliza loans usually fear receiving money on their phone because the lender will deduct automatically. That, however, is not the case with Pochi La Biashara.

Safaricom doesn’t touch the money you receive through Pochi La Biashara unless you transfer it to your MPESA wallet.

Lastly, there is no reason why you shouldn’t sign up for Pochi La Biashara if you are a small business owner in the informal sector, as it’s free to do it. It’s also simple, as I share in the next section.

How to Opt into Pochi La Biashara

Provided you have a registered MPESA line and are running an informal business; you can opt into Pochi La Biashara by following these steps:

Dial *334#.
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option.
Click on join.
Accept the terms and conditions.
Pick your preferred business category from the popup menu.

That’s it! You’ll receive a confirmation message indicating a successful opt-in.

How to Transfer Money from MPESA to Pochi La Biashara

Customers usually have three options to pay you via Pochi La Biashara.

Option 1 – USSD Code

Here, customers should:

Dial *334#.
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option.
Opt for Send to Pochi.
Enter the seller’s/merchant’s MPESA phone number.
Enter the transaction amount.
Input the MPESA Pin and then press OK.

Option 2 – Systems Tool Kit (STK) Menu

Customers can also use the STK function on their phones to transfer money from their MPESA to a merchant’s Pochi La Biashara wallet.

Generally, here are the steps to follow:

Go the phone’s STK
Pick Lipa na MPESA
Opt for Pochi La Biashara
Enter the seller’s/merchant’s MPESA number
Input the transaction amount
Enter the MPESA Pin and press OK

Option 3 – MPESA Super App

Safaricom allows MPESA customers with smartphones to pay to a Pochi La Biashara account using the MPESA Super App.

In general, here are the steps to follow after downloading the MPESA Super App (Google Play or App Store:

Launch the MPESA app
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option and then click on Pochi La Biashara
Enter the recipient’s/merchant’s MPESA number
Specify the amount to pay
Enter your MPESA PIN and then OK

Pochi La Biashara Safaricom Charges

Safaricom charges the same fees on Pochi La Biashara as sending money. In that case, here are the latest MPESA charges for transferring or sending money to Pochi La Biashara.

Amount Limit (Ksh)	Charges (Ksh)
1-100	Free
101-500	6
501-1,000	12
1,001-1,500	22
1,501-2,500	32
2,501-3,500	51
3,501-5,000	55
5,001-7,500	75
7,501-10,000	87
10,001-15,000	97
15,001-20,000	102
20,001-150,000	105

How to Withdraw from Pochi La Biashara

Usually, here’s how to go about it:

a) How to Withdraw Money from Pochi La Biashara to MPESA

Merchants (business owners) can transfer from their Pochi La Biashara wallet to personal MPESA account using these steps:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Opt for withdrawing funds
Choose ‘From Pochi La Biashara to MPESA’
Enter the amount to transfer
Enter the MPESA Pin and then OK

Note: This process doesn’t attract any transaction charges. It’s free.

b) How to Withdraw Money from Pochi La Biashara at an MPESA Agent

Merchants can alternatively withdraw money from their Pochi wallet at an MPESA agent by following these steps:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Opt for ‘withdraw from agent.’
Enter the MPESA agent number
Input the amount to withdraw
Enter the MPESA Pin and then OK to complete the transaction

Note: This process, like the one above, is free.

How to Transfer Money from Pochi La Biashara to MPESA (Customer’s Number)

As a Pochi merchant, you have the option of sending money from your Pochi wallet to a customer’s mobile.

Generally, here are the steps to follow:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Opt for Lipa na MPESA and then select other mobile numbers
Enter the MPESA number of the customer
Enter the amount to send
Input the MPESA Pin and then press OK

How to Transfer Money from One Pochi La Biashara Wallet to Another

Pochi La Biashara merchants can transfer money to other Pochi La Biashara wallets using these steps:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Opt for Send to Pochi
Input the mobile number of the other Pochi merchant
Enter the amount you want to send
Enter the MPESA Pin and then press OK

Note: Normal sending money charges apply here.

Pochi La Biashara Airtime (How to Sell Airtime Using Pochi)

Safaricom allows you to receive a 5% commission from selling airtime using the money in your Pochi wallet. Here are the steps to follow:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Choose sell airtime
Enter the phone number of the airtime recipient
Enter the amount equivalent to the airtime you want to buy
Input MPESA Pin and then press OK

How to Deposit Money to Pochi La Biashara

Sadly, you cannot deposit money to your Pochi La Biashara wallet from an MPESA agent. However, you can deposit the funds into another line and have them sent to your Pochi wallet.

How to Check Pochi La Biashara Balance

You can check your Pochi La Biashara balance by following these steps:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Choose My Account
Pick check balance
Enter MPESA pin and wait for the confirmation message, indicating your Pochi balance

how to withdraw money from pochi la biashara

How to Request Your Pochi La Biashara Statement

To help you keep track of your Pochi La Biashara transactions, Safaricom allows you to get an MPESA mini-statement in seconds at no cost.

Generally, here are the steps to follow:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Choose My Account and then My Statement
Pick mini statement
Enter MPESA Pin and then OK
Wait to receive a mini statement via SMS

Pochi La Biashara Loans

Safaricom sees your Pochi wallet and MPESA wallet as two different entries. So, once you receive money into your Pochi wallet, the money is not subject to any loan deductions, including Fuliza.

The only time it’ll be deducted by Fuiza is when you transfer it to your MPESA account.

How to Opt-Out of Pochi La Biashara Safaricom

After looking at how to opt into Pochi La Biashara, here’s how to opt-out:

Dial *334#
Select the ‘Pochi La Biashara’ option
Choose My Account
Opt for ‘Leave

You’ll receive a confirmation message of your opting-out immediately after the above steps.

Note: Once you opt out of Pochi La Biashara, the funds in your Pochi wallet automatically go to your MPESA wallet.

Safaricom Pochi La Biashara 2023 (Everything To Know!)