Kenyan MPs review Buy Now Pay Later firms over complaints; Mogo Auto misses meeting

The National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning has opened a review of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) firms after customer complaints. Mogo Auto Limited, one of the firms invited, did not attend and asked for its meeting to be rescheduled, Capital FM reported on 16 October 2026.

BNPL lets a customer take a phone, motorbike, car or other asset now and pay for it in instalments. The committee's chairman, Kuria Kimani, MP for Molo, said companies invited to appear must honour the invitations, and that MPs could invoke Standing Order 191 against those that fail to attend.

"The Committee is in receipt of several complaints from victims of exploitation," Kimani said, as quoted by Capital FM. The complaints concern alleged exploitation and debt-recovery practices.

Kimani said the committee had invited Mogo Auto after receiving stakeholder representations, the news site Eastleigh Voice reported on 16 October. "They, however, requested the meeting to be deferred," he said. He added: "We will, however, not hesitate to invoke the provisions of Standing Order 191."

MPs plan to question the firms on licensing, loan terms and customer onboarding, and on how they recover assets from borrowers who default. They will also look at account handling, payment records and arrears notices, and at repossession, valuation and the sale of recovered property, including how the sale proceeds are applied to the loan.

The review will cover customer complaints and dispute resolution, as well as the conduct of agents and third-party service providers. Capital FM reported that the committee could recommend changes to strengthen consumer protection.

The committee is also expected to meet the Central Bank of Kenya to assess how the sector is regulated and whether firms comply with existing requirements. The news site Nairobi Wire reported on 16 October that no date has been announced for the planned meeting with the firms. It described Standing Order 191 as a provision that allows the House to compel attendance. The outlet said the committee has not outlined findings against any firm, and that Mogo Auto is the only provider named. Capital FM, Eastleigh Voice and Nairobi Wire did not carry a comment from Mogo Auto on the review.

The same committee dealt with BNPL regulation in 2024. Business Daily reported on 4 December 2024 that proposed amendments in the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 sought to place BNPL businesses under Central Bank of Kenya regulation, and that the committee had agreed to exempt retailers that sell devices on BNPL terms, including Safaricom's Lipa Mdogo Mdogo.

Mogo Auto has faced complaints from borrowers before. The Competition Authority of Kenya fined the company KSh 10,851,473.20 in October 2024 after complaints from four customers, and ordered refunds of KSh 344,939 to three of them, the Kenyan news site HapaKenya reported on 4 October 2024. The outlet said Mogo admitted the accusations at the time and was willing to settle the matter amicably.

The National Assembly has referred to its Public Petitions Committee a petition by the Kenya Bodaboda Riders and Owners Association asking Parliament to investigate Mogo Auto's lending and asset-financing practices, the news site Dawan Africa reported on 21 August 2026. The outlet said Parliament has not established the allegations.