Lipa Pole Pole, Swahili for "pay slowly", is LockPesa's installment payment feature, letting buyers pay for goods or services in smaller portions over time while the escrow account protects both sides.

Is my money safe between installments? Yes, each installment sits in the LockPesa escrow account and is only released to the seller according to the agreed schedule and conditions.

What happens if I stop paying? The arrangement is governed by the terms both sides agreed to at the start, and any funds already in escrow are handled according to those terms.

Can sellers see my full payment plan? Sellers can see the agreed schedule and confirmed installments, giving both sides visibility into the arrangement.

Before your next installment agreement, especially with someone you are dealing with for the first time, consider running it through LockPesa. The small extra step of using escrow can save you from a costly loss.

Escrow is not a new invention, it has protected large real estate and business deals for decades in many countries, handled by lawyers and banks. What LockPesa has done differently is bring that same protective structure down to everyday Kenyan transactions, integrating it with the mobile money habits people already use daily, and removing the legal fees that once made escrow feel out of reach for ordinary buyers, sellers and small business owners.

It is worth remembering that escrow is not about assuming the worst of the other party, most transactions, even between strangers, complete without any issue at all. Rather, escrow is about removing the small but real chance of loss so that both sides can negotiate, agree and complete a deal with full confidence, rather than hesitation. As more Kenyans transact with people outside their immediate circle of family, friends and known business contacts, that confidence becomes increasingly valuable, whether the deal is worth a few thousand shillings or several million.

Take a moment to explain the process to the other party before you begin, since a transaction goes far more smoothly when both sides understand why the funds are being held and when they will be released.

If you are new to escrow, start small. Try LockPesa on a modest transaction first, a small online purchase or a short freelance gig, to get comfortable with how deposits, confirmations and releases work before relying on it for a larger deal. Once you have gone through the process once, using it for bigger, more important transactions becomes second nature, and you will likely find yourself recommending it to friends, family and business contacts who are still sending money the old, riskier way.