How M-Pesa STK Push works
What the M-Pesa prompt on your phone is and how to complete it.
Beginner 3 min readUpdated 5/27/2026
STK Push ("SIM Toolkit") is the pop-up M-Pesa prompt that appears on your phone asking you to enter your PIN to approve a payment.
How it works on Coinwaka
- You start a buy with M-Pesa.
- Coinwaka asks Safaricom (via our payment provider) to send a payment prompt to your number.
- Your phone shows a prompt with the amount and merchant.
- You enter your M-Pesa PIN to approve.
- Safaricom processes the payment and sends back a confirmation.
- Coinwaka receives the confirmation and credits your crypto.
Tips
- The prompt usually arrives within seconds. If it doesn't, you can retry or check status.
- Make sure your number has enough balance and is the one registered to your account.
- Never enter your PIN for a prompt you didn't start.