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How to Go Live with MPESA Paybill/Till

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Introduction

This guide will help you to “go live” with your existing paybill number or business till.
If you do not have a paybill or till, we have a separate guide on how to apply for one here.

What does it mean to “go live”?

Going live enables the MPESA system to send paybill/till transactions to an external system (such as Conta).
This helps automate recording of transactions into the external system.

When you go live, you will also get a set of credentials (on the MPESA Daraja portal) that allow the external system to authenticate.
These are what you'll add to Conta for your paybill/till.

The Steps

Note: The first step may take between 24–72 hours, as it relies on MPESA processing.
The rest can be completed in real-time.

  1. Request for access to the MPESA G2 portal
  2. Create an account on the MPESA Daraja portal
  3. Go live on the MPESA Daraja portal
  4. Update your paybill/till credentials on Conta

Step 1: Request Access to the MPESA G2 Portal

The MPESA G2 portal allows you to manage your paybill/till and review transactions.

To get access:

  • Prepare the required documents (based on your business category, listed below).
  • Email them to m-pesabusiness@safaricom.co.ke from the official email used when applying for the paybill/till.

BUSINESS CATEGORY REQUIREMENTS

INDIVIDUAL

  • Duly filled and signed Business Administrator form
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) for the nominated/proposed Business Administrator

SOLE PROPRIETOR

  • Business Permit OR Certificate of registration
  • Duly filled, signed and stamped/sealed Business Administrator form
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) for the nominated/proposed Business Administrator

PARTNERSHIP (Not Limited Company)

  • Duly filled Admin form signed and stamped by two signatories on the Certificate of registration/Business permit/Partnership Deed
  • Business Partnership registration document – Certificate of registration / Business Permit / Partnership Deed
  • Copies of ID (scanned both sides) of the signatories as per the Business registration document
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) for the nominated/proposed Business Administrator

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (One Director)

  • Duly filled Business Admin form signed and stamped by the director on the CR12
  • Current CR12 (not more than 90 days old)
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) of the signatory as per CR12
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) of the nominated/proposed admin
  • Business Certificate of registration – Optional / Not mandatory

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (Multiple Directors)

  • Duly filled Business Admin form signed by at least two main signatories/directors on the CR12 and stamped
  • Current CR12 (not more than 90 days old)
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) of the main signatories/directors as per CR12
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) of the nominated/proposed admin
  • Business Certificate of registration – Optional / Not mandatory

OTHER BUSINESS CATEGORIES (Institutions, Churches, NGOs, Government, Parastatal, etc.)

  • Board resolution on organization letterhead stating the request, details of the nominated Admin, signed by at least two main signatories and stamped/sealed
  • Business Certificate of registration
  • Duly filled Business Admin form signed by at least two main signatories and stamped/sealed
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) of at least two main signatories – As per the Board Resolution signatories
  • Copy of ID (scanned both sides) of the nominated/proposed business administrator

Note: Signatories must be the main shareholders or senior authorized signatories under the organization as per valid registration document (e.g., CR12).

You can download the business admin form here. You only need to fill the section marked CATEGORY 1.

Once you submit the required documents, upon successful processing, you’ll receive an email/SMS within 24–72 hrs with your username and password as well as instructions on how to login to the G2 portal.

Note: Sometimes the MPESA team may take longer than 72 hrs. If so, consider sending a follow-up email to prompt a response.
In the worst case, if email attempts fail, you may need to visit a customer care centre physically.

You will be required to update your password once you sign in with the default provided credentials.

Step 2: Create an Account on MPESA Daraja Portal

To sign up:

  1. Visit https://developer.safaricom.co.ke
  2. Click LOGIN / SIGN UP
  3. Click GO TO SIGN UP
  4. Fill in your details and agree to Terms & Conditions
  5. You’ll receive a username and a one-time password (OTP) via email (valid for 5 mins)
  6. Use OTP to log in and create a new password

Step 3: Go Live on the MPESA Daraja Portal

Once logged in:

  1. Navigate to GO LIVE
  2. Fill out the form with:
    • Business short code (e.g., store number, paybill)
    • Organization name
    • G2 portal username
  3. Accept Terms & Conditions → Click NEXT STEP
  4. Enter the OTP sent to the G2-linked phone number

Upon completion, you’ll get:

  • Consumer Key
  • Consumer Secret
  • Passkey (sent to your email)

Step 4: Update Paybill/Till Credentials on Conta

Conta uses your credentials to receive transactions.

Step-by-step:

  1. Login to MPESA Daraja portal
  2. Click on MY APPS
  3. Under Active entity, switch from SANDBOX to your org name
  4. Click Show Credentials
  5. Copy Consumer Key and Consumer Secret and store securely

These are sensitive and must be handled carefully.

Configure in Conta:

  1. Login to Conta
  2. Go to Settings → M-pesa Short Codes
  3. Click Create +
  4. Fill in:
    • Short code (your paybill/store number)
    • Type (paybill or till)
    • Consumer key
    • Consumer secret

If successful, the shortcode will show an active status.
If errors occur, guidance will be provided.

Once setup is complete, transactions should begin appearing in your Conta portal.

For help, reach us at support@conta.co.ke.

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