M-tiba Refunds Users After Closing Health Savings Wallet

In Short

M-TIBA is refunding users after shutting down its My Health Funds (MHF) wallet. The MHF wallet let customers set aside money specifically for healthcare.

Refunds started landing in users’ M-PESA accounts from April 8, without users initiating withdrawals.

What Happened

M-TIBA, a mobile health platform operated by Kenya-based healthtech company CarePay, has discontinued its My Health Funds wallet.

CarePay informed users on March 3 via SMS and a notice on its website that the MHF wallet would be discontinued. It told customers to withdraw their balances via USSD (a short code menu on any phone, like dialing *123#) or receive refunds to M-PESA by March 8.

On April 8, users began receiving refunds directly into their M-PESA wallets. Several users told TechCabal they had received the payouts.

CarePay said access to insurance benefits on M-TIBA would remain unchanged. CarePay declined to comment on the change.

M-TIBA also said any balances that cannot be refunded using verified user details would be forwarded to Kenya’s Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority. That is the government body that holds unclaimed money until the owner comes forward.

Why It Matters

The shutdown signals a clear product shift. M-TIBA is moving away from a consumer health savings wallet and toward an insurance management platform, meaning tools that help administer health cover, claims, and benefits rather than store user funds.

For users, the immediate issue is planning. Many relied on the wallet to save small amounts over time for clinic visits, medicines, and emergencies, and there is no direct replacement inside M-TIBA.

For the broader Health Tech and digital payments ecosystem in Kenya, it is another reminder that regulated handling of customer balances, refunds, and unclaimed funds is becoming a core operational requirement, not a side feature.