Safaricom will automatically deduct Bonga points for customers that fail to pay Okoa Jahazi to reduce the growing Bonga Points debt and allow the company to collect overdue airtimes.

According to a telecommunication company, some customers possess more than five mobile lines with unpaid airtimes.

“From a perspective we are looking at it as a good thing. It’s another way of telling customers that you can utilize your Bonga points to pay your okoa jahazi loans,” a Safaricom employee who sought anonymity said.

Safaricom charges 10 per cent advance fee on okoa jahazi.

The Safaricom Okoa Jahazi service is open to all customers, with customer limits growing each time they buy airtime.

Previously, Safaricom opted to put an expiry on the Bonga points its customers owed, a move that was reversed indefinitely amidst implementation.

The suspension of the Bonga points’ viability would have informed an automatic expiry of unclaimed Bonga points effective at the beginning of the year.