System glitch hits Postbank ATM and cards transactions

Postbank's Market Lane branch in Nairobi on July 29, 2018. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU

Customers of Postbank were on Monday left stranded after the lender’s Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) failed to dispense cash following an outage that also hit merchant services.

A notice pinned at the various branches of the bank notified customers of system challenges affecting ATM and transactions at merchant locations that accept card payments such as shops and supermarkets.

Upon inquiry, a teller said the problem, which had persisted for the past few weeks, was being addressed and that services would resume this week.

“However, services in all our branches, Mashinani Agents and our mobile banking via *498# will be available. You are therefore encouraged to transact using these channels,” read the notice.

Among customers affected are elderly citizens under the government’s social welfare program who receive their bimonthly stipend through Postbank.

Postbank was selected alongside Equity #ticker:EQTY, KCB #ticker:KCB and Co-operative Bank #ticker:COOP to distribute funds to the elderly under the Inua Jamii programme.

The bank with about 102 branches spread across the country also is used by the government to disburse pensions to retired civil servants.

In the past, customers of National Bank of Kenya #ticker:NBK, Equity Bank and Co-operative Bank have been inconvenienced by ATM outages.