Mobile remittance firm SimbaPay launched a service that enables Kenyans living abroad to make bill payments using the popular M-Pesa money service back home.

M-Pesa PayBill, which previously has only been available to M-Pesa subscribers in Kenya, allows subscribers to pay hundreds of vendors through the money service.

Via SimbaPay, Kenyans abroad can now also pay the same vendors and utility companies in Kenya directly via the M-Pesa-based bill-payment service.

Nyasinga Onyancha, CEO for SimbaPay, said: “Our customers want to pay vendors in Kenya faster and without having to go through friends and family”.

“This new product allows them to do just that, especially for time sensitive payments such as those to hospitals, stockbrokers and the like,” he added.

SimbaPay customers will not require a Safaricom phone number or M-Pesa registration to pay vendors via PayBill, as is the case for M-Pesa subscribers living in Kenya. SimbaPay charges zero fees for its instant money transfers to M-Pesa PayBill numbers.

Kenyans living in the UK with a bank account, debit card or credit card will be able to use the SimbaPay app to make bill payments from any mobile phone, tablet or computer.

A rollout in other EU countries is planned in the near future.