Connecting Kenya’s Digital Services to M-PESA Through Daraja 3.0
Most Kenyans rarely consider what happens behind the scenes when they pay for goods online, settle hospital bills, or access government portals. The process feels seamless: click, pay and move on. Yet powering that simplicity is a complex layer of integration driven by developers linking services to M-PESA through Daraja 3.0.
One of those developers is Robert Manyala, Director at Robisearch Limited, a technology firm that builds payment and automation systems for businesses and public institutions.
From Delays to Same-Day Integration
Robisearch has been integrating systems with M-PESA for nearly a decade. According to Manyala, the early days were far more complicated.
Integration required certificates tied to specific browsers, and going live involved multiple technical steps. A small error — such as entering the wrong URL — could halt the entire process, forcing developers to seek manual support.
“At the time, any delay meant businesses had to wait longer to start collecting payments,” Manyala says.
Today, Daraja 3.0 has streamlined that process. Developers can troubleshoot errors independently, significantly cutting integration timelines.
“What used to take days, sometimes even a week, now takes hours,” he explains, noting that faster integration directly impacts revenue generation for both developers and their clients.
Self-Service Tools Driving Expansion
A key shift has been the introduction of self-service tools on Daraja 3.0, allowing developers to work flexibly without relying on support teams.
“As programmers, we don’t work 9 to 5. Sometimes your best work happens at midnight. Now we can integrate whenever we want,” Manyala says.
That flexibility has enabled Robisearch to expand beyond Kenya into Uganda and South Africa, positioning the company for further growth across the continent.
“If the API works well in Kenya and Safaricom has a presence in other markets, expansion becomes much easier,” he adds.
Beyond Payments: Building Digital Infrastructure
Robisearch’s work now extends beyond payments. The company recently launched DG Visitor, a digital visitor management system designed for government buildings, enhancing efficiency and data privacy.
For Manyala, Daraja has evolved into more than a payment gateway. It is a broader platform of APIs enabling automation, compliance checks and enhanced data management.
“Developers may seem like they are just building apps, but we are building the invisible systems that power commerce, healthcare and public services,” he says.
While most users may never hear the word “API,” they continue to benefit from faster services, smoother payments and more secure systems, proof that Kenya’s digital backbone is quietly growing stronger.