On 8 November 2026 two small shops in Kisumu started accepting bitcoin.

The customer scans a QR code with any Lightning wallet and pays in sats. The shop receives Kenyan shillings in M-Pesa. The shopkeeper doesn't need a wallet, an exchange account or any knowledge of bitcoin. The till works the way it always has.

How onboarding works

  1. Meet the merchant. I walk the shops, explain how it works and answer questions.
  2. Set up the QR. Each shop gets its own QR code, printed on the spot.
  3. Scan and pay in sats. Any Lightning wallet works.
  4. It lands in M-Pesa. Shillings go straight to the merchant's phone.

The product is called kTown: https://altradits.com/ktown/

What it costs, and who pays

Each QR code costs me about $1 to produce.

The merchants don't pay me anything. I have no sponsor. I pay for it myself.

Why I'm doing it

Most people in Kisumu have only heard of bitcoin as a scam or a gamble. I want to change that story where it matters most: in the shops where people buy their bread and airtime.

The next group of bitcoin advocates in Kisumu should start with shops that already accept bitcoin. There should also be local developers trained to build bitcoin tools for local businesses and the community.

That future isn't here yet. Until it is, I'll keep doing whatever I can to lay the foundation for bitcoin adoption in Kisumu, one shop a week.

What's next

  • One new merchant every week.
  • More time on open-source bitcoin work. I'm also preparing a Btrust application.

How you can help

I'm open to help, sponsorship and collaboration:

  • Sponsor QR codes for more shops. $1 puts one shop on bitcoin.
  • Collaborate if you're building on Lightning or work with merchants in East Africa.
  • Support the work: https://altradits.com/donate.html

Watch and follow

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