The High Court has ordered Safaricom PLC to pay businessman Peter Nthei Muoki KSh 1.4 billion in damages after finding that the telecommunications giant infringed on the MTIN Mobile Wallet USSD application and continued using the innovation without authorization.
In the ruling, the court held that Safaricom negligently adopted and deployed features linked to Muoki’s mobile wallet concept despite earlier engagements between the parties over the proposed technology. The judge said the compensation would cover losses arising from the unauthorized use of the product, reputational harm, and benefits accrued from the continued commercial exploitation of the application.
The dispute centered on claims that Muoki had presented the mobile wallet innovation to Safaricom officials as a platform designed to enhance digital financial management and parental monitoring for younger mobile money users. The businessman argued that the company later introduced a similar product under a different name and structure without compensating him or recognizing his intellectual property rights.
Court documents showed that the case had been ongoing for several years, with Safaricom previously attempting to halt proceedings and challenge requests for disclosure of internal communications related to the product’s development.
The judgment is expected to intensify debate around intellectual property protection in Kenya’s technology sector, particularly on how corporations engage innovators and developers when evaluating new digital products and financial technology solutions.