M-PESA Reversals

If you send money to the wrong number or make a mistake on M-PESA, you can prompt a reversal. 

DIY Reversal (via SMS 456) 

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Reversal lets you reverse funds directly from the recipient’s account back to yours, no need to call customer care. 

Eligibility for DIY Reversal 

• The sender or recipient of the transaction 
• The request must be made within 24 hours 
• The transaction must be a Safaricom-to-Safaricom (P2P) transfer 

How it works 

1. Forward the original M-PESA transaction SMS to 456. 
2. The system will check that: 

• You are the sender or recipient of the funds 
• The request is within 24 hours 
• The recipient’s account has enough balance 
• The number is not blacklisted 
• No more than 3 reversal attempts have been made for that transaction 

You will receive an SMS confirming whether the request was successful and the expected completion time. 

Important to note: 

When you receive a cancellation SMS (e.g. “Dear Customer, you have cancelled the reversal of SGE8P4F6LW of Ksh 300 from 254748388**…”), forward it again to 456 to complete the reversal. 

Transactions that can be reversed via 456: 

• P2P (Safaricom to Safaricom) transfers 
• Airtime purchased for self 

Other Ways to Request a Reversal 

• Request a reversal by chatting with Zuri 
• Request a reversal on the M-PESA App 
• Request a reversal on MySafaricom App 
• Visit a Safaricom Shop or call Customer Care (100 or 200)