Uber has reinstated Visa card payments in Kenya, eight months after removing the option over rising payment processing costs.
The development comes just two days after the ride-hailing company announced the shutdown of its operations in Nigeria and Uganda, making the contrasting decisions across its African markets particularly notable.
Visa payments return in Kenya
Kenyan Uber riders began seeing an option to add Visa cards to their accounts on September 4, with Visa now available alongside Mastercard, M-Pesa, Airtel Money and PayPal.
Uber had removed Visa payments from its Kenyan platform in January, citing rising global payment costs. At the time, the company said it regularly reviewed payment methods in individual markets to manage operating expenses.
While card transactions can typically attract merchant fees of between 1.5% and 3.5%, Uber has not disclosed what changed to allow Visa payments to return.
Visa had previously confirmed that it was working with Uber to resolve the issue, but neither company provided a timeline for when the payment option would be restored.
A contrasting week for Uber in Africa
The return of Visa payments in Kenya comes shortly after Uber exited Nigeria and Uganda on September 2.
The company said the decision was specific to the two markets and would not affect its operations elsewhere in Africa.
The moves come as Uber undertakes a broader global restructuring that includes plans to cut approximately 3,300 corporate jobs, representing around 10% of its corporate workforce.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said the restructuring is focused on reducing management layers and simplifying the company’s organisational structure.
For Kenya, the reinstatement of Visa provides riders with another payment option. Meanwhile, the company has not indicated whether the same cost-management considerations that influenced its payment strategy in Kenya played any role in its decision to leave Nigeria and Uganda.
