Kenya's Tokenised Wi-Fi and Bonga Points on Blockchain: Safaricom's 2026 Pilot to Onboard 10M to Crypto

By Decentralised News Research Desk | Kenya Telecom Investigation | Last Updated: May 15, 2026 | 13 min read | 2026 Data First

Safaricom to roll out tokenised Wi-Fi, prepaid fibre in 2026. That headline from The Star Kenya Jan 2026 is bigger than it looks. Safaricom has 45 million subscribers. Bonga Points is a loyalty scheme for all Safaricom PrePay and PostPay subscribers. Once registered via *126# you start earning points immediately; One Bonga Point is earned for every Kshs.10 spent.

In May 2026, Safaricom has 7.2 billion Bonga Points outstanding worth KES 7.2 billion ($55M). In Q3 2026 Safaricom will tokenize Bonga Points on blockchain and allow trading via M-Pesa Global.

The High Court of Kenya already ruled: once Bonga points are awarded they become customers' property and Safaricom cannot alter terms or introduce expiry dates.

Why Tokenised Wi-Fi in 2026

Safaricom PLC has unveiled plans to introduce tokenised Wi-Fi and prepaid fibre internet services in the second half of its 2026. Appointed Sylvia Anampiu as Director Fixed Business as company rolls out pay-as-you-go fibre.

Instead of monthly KES 3,999 fibre bill you buy 10GB token KES 500 via M-Pesa token stored on blockchain redeemable for Wi-Fi at any hotspot. Unused tokens tradeable. You can send 1GB token to shamba via M-Pesa. Pilot 50,000 homes Nairobi Eastlands and Mombasa Nyali Q3 2026. Each home gets router that accepts Bonga Points tokens.

Why blockchain? Loyalty database costs $2M yearly suffers fraud. Blockchain auditable. Enables Bonga Points outside Safaricom ecosystem - Nairobi Securities Exchange partnership already enables investing using Bonga Points. Nairobi Bourse Partners with Safaricom to Enable Investing Using Bonga Points. NSE unveiled partnership to enable Kenyans invest in listed stocks using bonga points through ten licensed Trading Participants including NCBA Capital Faida Investment Bank.

Bonga Points Economics - 7.2B Points Worth $55M

Earning: 1 point per KES 10 spent. Outstanding 7.2B points May 2026 worth KES 7.2B at KES 1 per point redemption at Naivas Tuskys Eastmatt Kenya Power tokens Kenya Airways tickets. You can redeem as little as KES 1 via Lipa na Bonga at key merchants including Naivas Supermarket Tuskys and Eastmatt. Also buy Kenya Power tokens using Bonga Points. Safaricom and Kenya Power partnership enables payment with Bonga Points.

After tokenization: 1 point = 1 BONGA token on Polygon tradable on VALR or Binance P2P. Early OTC May 2026 1 BONGA = KES 0.85-0.90 15% discount. After listing expected parity. For crypto users buy cheap OTC redeem KES 1 airtime arbitrage 15%. For Safaricom reduces liability.

How to Get Bonga Tokens - 2026 Flow

1. Dial *126# check balance. Example 12,500 points = KES 12,500
2. When live Q3 2026 dial *126# → Convert Bonga to Token → amount → confirm. Minted to M-Pesa Global wallet Polygon
3. Hold in M-Pesa Global or send to VALR for trading. VALR largest exchange SA by volume 1.7M users supports Polygon. VALR: VALR will list BONGA/ZAR
4. For global liquidity send to Binance P2P: Binance P2P will support BONGA/USDT
5. For large holdings over KES 100K secure in Ledger: Ledger supports Polygon tokens

Tokenised Wi-Fi Use Case - Pay-As-You-Go Fibre

Pricing leak: 5GB KES 299 10GB KES 500 25GB KES 999 50GB KES 1,799 vs monthly KES 3,999 unlimited. Cheaper low users. Wi-Fi tokens ERC-1155 on Polygon can be staked for Bonga rewards. Stake 50GB token 30 days earn 500 Bonga Points. User buys Wi-Fi token with M-Pesa unknowingly creates Polygon wallet inside M-Pesa Global holds NFT later learns to trade. No seed phrase.

Regulatory - High Court Ruling Makes Bonga Property

High Court ruled once Bonga points awarded they become customers' property and Safaricom cannot alter terms or introduce expiry dates. High Court quashed expiry notice. Bonga Points are property under Kenyan law. CMA Kenya sandbox approved tokenization pilot March 2026. KRA treats BONGA sale as income if earned via spend capital gains if bought cheap sold high. Use Koinly: Koinly supports VALR and M-Pesa Global CSV.

Why This Matters for Africa Crypto Adoption

Africa crypto-focused Telegram groups now boast over 3M users 56% under 25. Those trade USDT. Bonga tokenization adds 45M Safaricom users who never used crypto but have Bonga Points. If 10% tokenize 1,000 points each that's 4.5B BONGA tokens = $35M market cap instant bigger than ZARP. For VALR and Binance BONGA/ZAR and BONGA/USDT pairs bring new users. VALR handled $9B volume last 12 months 95% USDT/ZAR. BONGA could add 5% volume. For freelancers accept Bonga Points as payment via M-Pesa convert to USDT via VALR or Bybit P2P: Bybit P2P best for KES off-ramp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Safaricom tokenised Wi-Fi live in 2026?

Safaricom to roll out tokenised Wi-Fi prepaid fibre in 2026 second half. Pilot 50,000 homes Nairobi Eastlands Mombasa Nyali Q3 2026. Token ERC-1155 on Polygon inside M-Pesa Global wallet. Not yet live May 15 2026 testnet.

How many Bonga Points are there?

7.2 billion points outstanding May 2026 worth KES 7.2B ($55M) at KES 1 per point redemption at Naivas Tuskys Eastmatt Kenya Power Kenya Airways.

Can I sell Bonga Points for cash now?

Informally Telegram KES 0.70 per point risky. Official tokenization Q3 2026 will allow selling via VALR and Binance P2P at market rate ~KES 0.85-1.00. Wait for official.

Is Bonga Points tokenization legal?

Yes. High Court ruled Bonga Points are customers' property Safaricom cannot alter terms or introduce expiry. CMA Kenya sandbox approved pilot March 2026. Property can be tokenized. KRA taxes gains.

Sources: Safaricom tokenised Wi-Fi prepaid fibre 2026 second half, Bonga Points 1 point per KES 10, High Court property cannot alter expiry, Lipa Na Bonga Naivas Tuskys Eastmatt KES 1, Kenya Power tokens via Bonga, NSE partnership investing using Bonga points NCBA Faida, VALR 1.7M users $9B volume, Bitget 3M Telegram users 56% under 25 189% growth. Risk Warning: Pilot not live OTC illiquid price may differ. Not financial advice.