Flutterwave is one of the most powerful payment gateways for African businesses. It supports M-Pesa, Airtel Money, credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and mobile money across Kenya and the broader East African region. In this guide, we will walk through setting up Flutterwave for your Kenyan ecommerce store, including M-Pesa integration, transaction fees, and the KYC process.
What is Flutterwave?
Flutterwave is a fintech company that provides payment infrastructure for businesses across Africa. Founded in 2016, Flutterwave processes payments for over 1 million businesses and supports over 150 currencies. For Kenyan merchants, Flutterwave is the gateway that lets you accept M-Pesa, cards, and bank transfers all through a single integration.
Payment Methods Supported in Kenya
Step 1: Create a Flutterwave Account
Sign Up on Flutterwave
Visit flutterwave.com and create a business account. Select Kenya as your country of operation.
Complete Business Verification
Provide your business registration documents, KRA PIN, and director identification (National ID or Passport).
Get API Keys
Once verified, navigate to Settings > API Keys in your Flutterwave dashboard. You will get a Secret Key and Public Key.
Configure Webhook
Set up the webhook URL in your Flutterwave dashboard. This is how Flutterwave notifies your store about successful payments.
Step 2: M-Pesa Integration
M-Pesa is the most popular payment method in Kenya, used by over 30 million Kenyans. With Flutterwave, you can accept M-Pesa payments without needing a direct Safaricom M-Pesa API integration. Flutterwave handles the M-Pesa STK Push for you.
How M-Pesa via Flutterwave Works
- 1. Customer selects M-Pesa at checkout
- 2. Customer enters their M-Pesa phone number
- 3. Flutterwave triggers an STK Push to the customer's phone
- 4. Customer enters their M-Pesa PIN to authorize
- 5. Payment is confirmed and order is processed
Step 3: Understanding Transaction Fees
Flutterwave charges competitive fees for Kenyan merchants:
| Payment Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Local Cards | 1.4% |
| International Cards | 3.8% |
| M-Pesa | 1.5% |
| Mobile Money | 1.5% |
| Bank Transfer | 1.4% |
Fees are approximate and may vary. Check Flutterwave's website for the latest pricing.
Step 4: KYC Requirements
To accept payments via Flutterwave in Kenya, you need to complete KYC (Know Your Customer) verification. Here is what you need:
KYC verification typically takes 1-3 business days. Once approved, you can start accepting live payments.
Using Flutterwave with FlexiCommerce
FlexiCommerce comes with Flutterwave pre-integrated. All you need to do is:
Launch Your Store with Flutterwave Payments
FlexiCommerce comes with Flutterwave pre-integrated. Accept M-Pesa, cards, bank transfers, and mobile money from day one. From KES 3,999/month + hosting.