Several Kenyans are currently grappling with an unexpected disruption in Safaricom's M-PESA services, rendering them unable to conduct transactions.

The outage, which commenced around 11:00 am, is affecting both the M-PESA app, the Sim Toolkit and the USSD code.

Customers who attempted to transact via M-PESA were only met with a notification stating, "MPESA is experiencing delays and is not able to accept your request. Please wait for 10 minutes before trying again."

Simultaneously, users accessing the M-PESA app encountered an error message, while others received a direct message notifying them of the ongoing maintenance.

"Dear customer, MPESA is currently undergoing maintenance and is unable to process your request. We apologize for the inconvenience," the notification read.

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The disruption raises concerns about the potential impact on various transactions, given M-Pesa's widespread use across all sectors of the economy.

A message from Safaricom attempted to shed light on the situation, stating, "M-PESA is undergoing scheduled maintenance.”

Meanwhile, several banks, recognizing their clients' reliance on the M-PESA platform for transactions, promptly notified their customers about the delay.

"Dear Customer, our M-Pesa service is currently unavailable. All other LOOP services remain uninterrupted for you to access your funds via EFT, RTGS, PesaLink, LOOP-to-LOOP and LOOP Card transactions. We apologise for the inconvenience caused," NCBA bank SMS to its customers read.

As of the time of this publication, services had yet to be restored, and Safaricom PLC had not issued an official statement addressing the cause and expected resolution time of the unexpected outage.

The situation leaves Kenyans anxiously awaiting the resumption of M-PESA services, as the disruption casts uncertainty over the nation's financial transactions.