Lipa na M-Pesa (Buy Goods) till numbers are the most common way Kenyan customers pay at retail stores, restaurants, and markets. Here's how to get one and connect it to your POS.
Step 1: Register as a Safaricom Merchant
Visit any Safaricom shop or apply online at safaricom.co.ke with:
- Business registration certificate (or KRA PIN for sole traders)
- National ID of the business owner
- Business premises details
Step 2: Get Your Till Number
Safaricom will assign you a Buy Goods Till Number within 2–5 business days. This is a 6–7 digit number your customers will use to send payments.
Step 3: Connect to sell.ke
Once you have your till number:
- Log in to your sell.ke dashboard
- Go to Settings → Payments → M-Pesa
- Enter your Till Number and Safaricom Initiator credentials
- sell.ke confirms payments in real time — no manual checking needed
Paybill vs. Till Number — Which Should You Use?
| Feature | Paybill | Till Number (Buy Goods) |
|---|---|---|
| Customer enters account number | Yes | No |
| Funds go to | Bank account | M-Pesa wallet |
| Best for | Online shops, utilities | Physical retail |
| Setup time | 3–7 days | 2–5 days |
| Customer effort | Medium | Low |
For most retail shops, a Till Number is simpler and faster. For online stores, a Paybill with sell.ke is ideal because the account number field can carry your order ID for automatic reconciliation.
What if my till number isn't being confirmed?
The most common issues when connecting M-Pesa to your POS:
- Wrong initiator name: This is not your personal name — it's the M-Pesa API operator credential. Check in your Safaricom merchant portal.
- API not activated: You need to activate the Daraja API via the Safaricom developer portal. sell.ke's support team can walk you through this on WhatsApp.
- Test environment vs production: When testing, payments only go through in the sandbox. Confirm your account is switched to production.
The sell.ke team assists with the full M-Pesa setup over WhatsApp at no extra charge on any paid plan.
Start your free trial at sell.ke.