In this day and age of mobile money, millions of Kenyans will always have a Mpesa account, in which they will save borrow and hold their money. It is easier to transact on Mpesa than banks because these transactions are real-time and just a tap away. The culture of saving is one that many people have adopted and for that very reason, they save their money in Mshwari for precautionary motives.
In the event that deaths strikes? When someone dies, their family is left wondering how to go about their lives, suppose the loved one was their breadwinner. The big question is how can they access what is left of the deceased, in his/her M-pesa to keep them going before they can be able to stand on their own feet?
Safaricom describes next of kin as a person’s closest living blood relative who can be contacted in case of any eventuality. Upon receiving notification of the death of a subscriber the M-PESA account is frozen to prevent further dealings. In this case, a next of kin can make a claim to access the money.
Here is a step by step guide on how one can inherit from the deceased if you are their closest living relative. You will be required to fill in the M-PESA next of Kin Claim Form and attach these documents.
- ID of claimant
This is the national ID of the person claiming the deceased funds. - Death Certificate
This is a government document that proves that the person is deceased. - Statutory Declaration (Affidavit)
A document witnessed by an advocate commissioner for oaths stating certain facts including the claimant’s relationship to the deceased. - Grant of Letters of Administration (interstate)
This is a legal document obtained from any probate & administration court. The same is issued after the court is satisfied that a person has the capacity to act as a legal representative to the estate of a deceased person who did not leave a will appointing a personal representative. - Grant of Probate
This is a legal document issued by the court to an executor of the estate of a deceased person who left a will providing for what should happen to his estate and further appointing a personal representative (executor). The appointed person will go to court with the will and supporting documents and obtains a Grant of Probate. - Confirmation of Grant of Probate or Confirmation of Grant of Letters of Administration
This is a document issued by a court naming the beneficiaries and documenting their entitlement to portions of the estate of the deceased. - Letter from the Provincial administration
This is a letter from the chief, DC or PC confirming certain details about the deceased person and his beneficiaries. The confirmation will include the full names of the deceased, the area where the deceased was from and ALL the persons who are beneficiaries of the estate of the deceased.
Once you have all the required documents and your application considered successful, funds will be transferred into the beneficiaries entitled to the M-PESA account balances once all documents are found to be in order. The beneficiary must also provide a registered M-PESA account to receive the funds as Safaricom does not pay out money in any other form.
