The use of mobile money transactions has significantly increased among Rwandans, since its introduction in the country in 2010.
Central bank figures show that as of September 2021, around three in five Rwandans had access to mobile money with 6,129,624 active subscribers.
From January to August last year, consolidated mobile money transactions were valued at Rwf237 million.
However, one question that still lingers in the minds of many is that with this significant number of mobile money users, in the unfortunate case where one user dies, how can the next of kin claim the money in the deceased’s personal account?
John Magara, Head of Brand and Communications at Airtel Rwanda, says that in that case the next of kin presents the required documents to an Airtel office which will be used to process the claim.
"The required documents are a death certificate, legal proof of relationship of the deceased and the person claiming the money, a will and whichever document that is legally relevant,” he stated.
However, he added that all these documents need to be legally accepted and signed by the court or someone in authority, like the local government and others, and will only be accepted by the telecom operator if they were legally approved.
After receiving the document, he explained, the people in charge of customer care as well as the legal aid team will then verify the authenticity of the documents and if no issue arises then the money can be transferred to the beneficiary’s account with no problem.
However, when the mobile money account has been inactive for five years, the funds are transferred to the central bank
From then the beneficiary will have to claim the money from the central bank and not the telecommunication company the deceased has been using.
MTN mobile money management told The New Times that any person who has proof to manage the accounts of the deceased can access the money.
According to MTN, they have to present a death certificate of the deceased, notarised documents proving that you are the rightful manager of the deceased's account, fill out a set of customer forms, and attach a copy of your ID.
While there’s no specific time of how long the process takes before the claimant receives their funds, MTN says that as long as they have all the documents needed it will just be a matter of transferring the money.
For Alexander Gakuru who lost his father last year, he has been struggling to know his late father's MoMo pin so he can withdraw the money that was on his account.
Like many people out there, he has had a protracted back and forth with MTN MoMo agents but all was fruitless.
MTN said it was planning to digitise all these services, so clients can easily upload these needed documents and get their money in time.
How about money in a bank account?
According to Collin Gatete, a Kigali-based lawyer, if one has all the necessary documents then they can access the money on the account.
For instance, if you were married, he stated, you will need a death certificate and marriage certificate, however the matrimonial regime you had with your deceased spouse determines whether or not you will have access to the money.
"In case there is a dispute then it will be up to the court to determine who will be the lawful heir of the account and the listed property,” he said.