Naromoru Quarry Worker wins three bedroom Apartment in Ongoing Lipa Na M-Pesa Promotion

Thirty-nine-year-old Samuel Gathiru from Naromoru  is the second winner of a three-bedroom apartment located in Nairobi’s Riruta neighbourhood the ongoing Lipa Na M-Pesa promotion. He currently lives in a one-room house in Naromoru whose rent is Kshs. 450 per month.

For the last four years, Gathiru has been working at a quarry located near Tigithi river. He makes about Kshs. 180 on an ordinary day and Kshs. 300 on a good day from the sale of the quarry stones.

“I have no words to express how happy I was when I received the news that I have won a house. At first, I could not believe the news and I had to go to the Safaricom Shop in Nanyuki to confirm. My employer pays my wages through M-Pesa which makes it convenient for me to do my shopping and pay for meals through Lipa Na M-Pesa,” said Gathiru.

He travelled to Nairobi on Thursday for the first time in his life to receive his award from Safaricom and plans to lease out the apartment as a source of additional income.

“I wake up very early and ensure that I am at the quarry site by seven in the morning. We are about ten employees and the money you make per day depends on how fast you work. We are paid Kshs. 60 per wheelbarrow of stones and so it is not an easy job,” added Gathiru.

Since the Lipa Na M-Pesa promotion began on January 8^th, 2020, Safaricom has awarded two apartments to customers and 40 Tuktuks to Lipa Na M-Pesa merchants. Safaricom has also been awarding a surprise cashback to eight customers every minute, one in each region, for paying with Lipa Na M-Pesa. Merchants get 25 percent of the Lipa Na M-PESA transaction charges as a cashback every night.

“We are seeing more and more Kenyans embrace Lipa Na M-Pesa as their most preferred way to make payments encouraged by the speed, safety and convenience of the service. The Lipa Na M-PESA promotion looks to boost increased uptake of the service while rewarding our customers and businesses that already make and receive payments on it,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, chief financial services officer, Safaricom.

The promotion continues until 5^th March 2020. It is open to both customers and businesses who make and receive payments through Lipa Na M-Pesa. Customers and businesses will receive one entry for every Kshs.  100 paid or received through the service.

Customers also stand to win one of the four remaining three-bedroom apartments in weekly draws, while one customer in each of the eight regions will win a tractor with a plough and trailer in the grand draw at the end of the promotion.

Businesses that accept Lipa Na M-Pesa also stand to win eighty tuk-tuks –  ten each in the eight regions –  and in the grand draw, eight 12-tonne Fuso FI trucks, one in each region.