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.

Ideal use cases: Buyers making larger purchases like electronics, furniture or equipment. Sellers who want to offer flexible payment terms without taking on the risk of non-payment. Businesses selling higher-ticket items to individual customers.

Protection for buyers: money is only released once a flexible purchase has been confirmed as delivered, removing the risk of paying and receiving nothing.

Protection for sellers: because the funds are already deposited before work begins, sellers do not have to worry about chasing a buyer for payment after delivery.

Dispute resolution: if something goes wrong, LockPesa can hold the funds until the disagreement is sorted out, instead of one side simply losing their money.

Trust between strangers: escrow makes it possible to transact safely with people you have never met, whether online or through a marketplace.

Before your next a transaction, 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.