Safaricom now allows subscribers to Okoa Jahazi more than once

Just after Safaricom won a case laying claim on its Okoa Jahazi feature, Kenya’s biggest mobile service provider by market share has further enhanced the feature to allow subscribers borrow airtime more than once before paying a previous Okoa Jahazi. The service works by enabling customers to borrow airtime and pay later when they most need it but are in no position to purchase.

A Kenyan high court earlier in the week dismissed an application by two Kenyans who sued the telecommunications giant alleging that the company infringed on their copyright with the launch of Okoa Jahazi in 2009. The high court judge Justice Mary Kasango threw out the claim by Christopher Omare and Michael Otachi, saying the two failed to specify how the company infringed on their copyright. The judge further said the proposal to Safaricom was too general and not original as claimed.

How Okoa Jahazi works;

Safaricom’s Okoa Jahazi service allows prepaid subscribers who meet a certain eligibility criterion to request for an advance airtime in the amount of Ksh 10, 20, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1,000. If the application for advance airtime is successful, Safaricom credits the requested amount less service charge to the mobile subscriber’s airtime balance.

Eligibility of Okoa Jahazi

• One must be a Safaricom’s prepaid subscriber
• Have a balance of less than Ksh.2
• Have an active line meaning your line has not gone into expiry due to a failure to top up over a period of 180 days.

How you can use Okoa Jahazi more than once before paying previous Okoa

Safaricom now allows customers to borrow airtime more than once provided they meet a certain criterion;

• Previous Okoa balance must not be more than 7 days old
• You have not exhausted your Okoa Jahazi limit; meaning if you have a limit of let’s say Ksh 1,000 and borrowed Ksh 200, you can still borrow multiple times as long as the total Okoa Jahazi doesn’t exceed Ksh 1,000.

How to Okoa Jahazi

On your Safaricom phone, just dial *131# and follow the prompts.

Safaricom does offer other services on credit as well such as Okoa Stima as explained by tuvuti and other service providers continue to follow suit such as Telkom Kenya