Dozens of Payless Africa customers are raising alarm after being unable to access their money for nearly a month, with many accusing the scaling fintech platform of going silent as funds remain stuck in their digital wallets.
Payless Africa, a youth-focused digital payments platform operating under the Payless Kenya brand, has recently been flooded with complaints from users who say they can no longer withdraw funds, pay bills, or complete basic transactions.
According to affected clients, the app continues to accept deposits but fails whenever users attempt to withdraw or make payments.
For weeks, frustrated customers say they have been met with unresponsive customer-care channels, automated messages, and vague assurances from Payless support agents that the problem is being worked on.
Many clients report that the platform consistently displays withdrawal errors linked to M-Pesa intermittency, even as deposits through the same channel are processed without interruption.
Users state that every attempt to seek assistance through the in-app customer support feature results in prolonged waiting times and repetitive automated replies, indicating that all agents are occupied, with no subsequent follow-up or resolution.
Several complainants add that attempts to reach the company via WhatsApp, social media pages, or alternative contact avenues have yielded no meaningful engagement, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty for those with funds locked within the system.
According to detailed reports shared with this news outlet, users have sought clarification on whether their pending withdrawals would be released, only to receive generic statements indicating that Payless Africa is engaged in a transition to a new payment service provider.
These statements reportedly promise that services will resume within a specified period, yet customers say those timelines have lapsed without any change in functionality.
Multiple clients also state that the company has not issued a comprehensive public communication through its official channels to explain the nature of the disruption, the expected restoration schedule, or the measures being taken to safeguard customer funds during this period.
This absence of a formal statement has intensified uncertainty, particularly for users who deposited large sums into the platform through features such as the Bank-to-Payless transfer, which previously allowed transactions of up to Ksh 250,000 per transfer and Ksh 500,000 daily.
Many users say they relied on these high-value transfer limits for business or personal liquidity, and now find themselves unable to retrieve their own funds.
The situation has generated widespread frustration among affected customers, who describe the past month as a period marked by inadequate communication, failed withdrawal attempts, and limited access to the company’s support infrastructure.
Users continue to call for an official, transparent update from Payless Africa to clarify when services will resume and to outline the steps being taken to ensure that all funds held within the platform remain secure and retrievable.
Below is what one of the affected users reported, describing a prolonged period of uncertainty marked by repeated attempts to obtain assistance, continual system failures each time a withdrawal was initiated, and growing anxiety over the absence of any clear indication from the company as to when access to their funds would be restored.
“Hi Nyakundi. I am writing to bring your attention to the difficulties we have been experiencing with Payless Africa. For close to a month, many of us have been unable to access our money, and every attempt to withdraw has failed without any clear explanation. The app accepts deposits, but once the funds are inside the wallet, they cannot be retrieved, paid out, or used to settle even the simplest transactions. We have tried reaching the company through every channel they provide, but the responses are either automated or unhelpful. The app support keeps showing that all agents are occupied, WhatsApp messages go unanswered and their social media pages have not been providing any updates. Some of us depend on these funds for daily needs. What we are asking for is clarity, a proper public update, and a clear timeline on when the withdrawal functions will resume. Kindly help us amplify this matter.”
