Integrating M-Pesa in 2026: what Daraja actually feels like

STK push, C2B callbacks and reconciliation — a field report from integrating mobile money into real products.

Mobile money is not a feature in Tanzania — it's the default. If your product can't take M-Pesa, most of your market can't pay you.

The Daraja APIs have matured: STK push is reliable, C2B callbacks arrive within seconds, and reconciliation reports can be generated nightly. The hard part isn't the API — it's the edge cases: duplicate callbacks, timeout UX, and customers who pay with the wrong reference.

Our rule: every payment has a human-readable receipt, an SMS confirmation, and a reconciliation line the owner can read without an accountant.