PayPal as a payment option for Kenyan Freelancers

[mathengemaina]

Hi Kenyan Freelancers,

I have been going through various threads started by Kenyan freelancers since December 2019 and I have noticed that Upwork to M-Pesa payment method is a huge issue. We are withdrawing money from Upwork but it looks like the withdrawn money isn't getting to our M-Pesa accounts. 

Now, I have another automatic withdrawal happening this Wednesday (happens every Wednesday when my balance is over $100). Since last week's withdrawal is yet to reach my M-Pesa account, I am thinking of shifting from using M-Pesa to using PayPal. 

My question is, has any other Kenyan freelancer been using PayPal? If so, has PayPal been more effective than M-Pesa? 

Note: By effective, I mean, is the timing reliable? With M-Pesa, the timing is the problem - it is very unreliable - for example, last week but one, I received my money within 3 hours while this week, I have been waiting since Wednesday. 

[mcatina]

Hey Mathenge, go ahead and use PayPal. It’s reliable. You cannot sort out any emergencies using the Mpesa withdrawal.