Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a legally binding contract between you ("User") and Bravilex International Co. Limited ("SOKONI", "the Company", "we", "us", "our"), a company registered in Kenya that owns and operates the SOKONI platform. In these Terms, "Company" means Bravilex International Co. Limited. SOKONI is owned and operated by Bravilex International Co. Limited. By creating an account, browsing, purchasing, or listing on SOKONI, you accept these Terms in full and enter into this agreement with Bravilex International Co. Limited.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or in-app notice at least 14 days before taking effect. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

2. Eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account and conduct transactions.
• Persons under 18 may not register or complete purchases.
• Business accounts must be registered legal entities in Kenya or a jurisdiction we accept.
• You must have the legal capacity to enter binding contracts under Kenyan law.
• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any lawful reason.

3. Accounts & Security

Registration

You may register with your email and password, Google account, Facebook account, or phone number (OTP). You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials. You must immediately notify us of any unauthorised access at security@mysokoni.co.ke.

Account Integrity

• One account per person or registered business. Duplicate accounts may be suspended.
• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information.
• You must not share your account credentials with any other person.
• Accounts inactive for 24 months may be archived; you will receive a 30-day notice.

Verification

Sellers and service providers must complete KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, including government-issued ID and business registration, before listing products or withdrawing funds.

Account Deletion

You may delete your account at any time from Profile → Settings → Privacy → Delete Account. Personal data is permanently purged within 30 days. Financial records required by law (eTIMS, tax records) are retained for 7 years. See our Data Deletion Centre.

4. Marketplace Rules

SOKONI is a two-sided marketplace. We connect buyers and sellers but are not a party to individual transactions unless otherwise stated. SOKONI is not responsible for the quality, accuracy, legality, or delivery of items listed by third-party sellers.

• Listings must accurately represent the product or service being offered.
• Sellers must honour confirmed orders within the stated timeframe.
• Communication between buyers and sellers must remain within the SOKONI messaging system for transactions arising from the platform.
• Off-platform payments to circumvent SOKONI fees are prohibited and may result in permanent account suspension.
• SOKONI reserves the right to mediate disputes and issue binding decisions on refunds and order completion.

5. Buyer Responsibilities

• Review product descriptions, photos, and seller ratings before purchasing.
• Provide accurate delivery address and contact information.
• Be available to receive delivery and confirm receipt within 48 hours of delivery.
• Report issues (damaged, wrong, or missing items) within 48 hours of confirmed delivery.
• Do not file fraudulent dispute claims. Abuse of the disputes system will result in account suspension.
• Respect the seller's stated delivery timelines before escalating.

6. Seller Responsibilities

• List only items you have legal title or authority to sell.
• Maintain accurate stock levels and remove sold-out listings promptly.
• Process and dispatch orders within the stated handling time (default 2 business days).
• Comply with Kenya's Consumer Protection Act, 2012 for all sales.
• Issue KRA-compliant eTIMS receipts for all taxable sales through the SOKONI platform.
• Respond to buyer queries within 24 hours.
• Maintain a minimum 3.5-star rating to remain a featured seller. Ratings below 3.0 will trigger a quality review.
• SOKONI may suspend listing privileges for repeated negative reviews, disputes, or policy violations.

Commission

SOKONI charges a platform commission on each completed transaction. Commission rates vary by category and subscription plan. Current rates are available in the Seller Dashboard. Commission is automatically deducted before payouts are processed.

7. Payments & Fees

Payment Methods

SOKONI accepts: M-Pesa (STK Push via IntaSend), debit/credit cards, and SOKONI Wallet. All transactions are processed in Kenya Shillings (KES).

Payment Processing

Payments are processed by IntaSend, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya. SOKONI holds payments in escrow until order completion confirmation, then releases funds to the seller wallet minus commission.

Seller Payouts

• Payouts are processed every Wednesday and Friday for confirmed completed orders.
• Minimum payout threshold: KES 500.
• Withholding Tax (WHT): 5% is deducted from seller payouts and remitted to KRA under Section 35 of the Income Tax Act, Cap. 470. A WHT certificate is issued to sellers monthly.
• VAT-registered sellers: SOKONI deducts and remits 16% VAT on platform fees. Sellers are responsible for their own output VAT on goods sold.

Platform Fees

Platform fees (listing boosts, featured placements, subscriptions) are non-refundable unless SOKONI fails to deliver the service.

8. Refunds & Disputes

Buyer Refund Policy

• Item Not Received (INR): If your order is not delivered within 7 days of the estimated delivery date, you may open an INR dispute.
• Not As Described (NAD): If the item differs materially from the listing, report within 48 hours of delivery with photo evidence.
• Cancelled orders: Full refund within 3–5 business days for orders cancelled before dispatch.
• Refunds are credited to your SOKONI Wallet or original payment method.

Dispute Resolution Process

1. First contact the seller via SOKONI messaging and attempt resolution.
2. If unresolved after 48 hours, escalate to SOKONI via the dispute centre.
3. SOKONI will review evidence from both parties and issue a decision within 5 business days.
4. SOKONI's dispute decision is final and binding on both buyer and seller.

Non-Refundable Items

• Digital goods once downloaded
• Personalised or custom-made items
• Perishable food items once delivered
• Sealed health and hygiene products once opened

9. Prohibited Items & Activities

The following are strictly prohibited on SOKONI. Violation results in immediate account suspension and may be reported to law enforcement:

Prohibited activities include: account farming, review manipulation, click fraud, payment fraud, chargebacks on fulfilled orders, and any form of market manipulation.

10. Intellectual Property

SOKONI Platform

All platform code, branding, design elements, logos, and proprietary content are owned by Bravilex International Co. Limited. You may not copy, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works without our written permission.

Your Content

You retain ownership of content you upload (product photos, descriptions, business information). By uploading, you grant SOKONI a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display your content on the platform and in related marketing materials. We will not sell your original content to third parties.

Third-Party Rights

You must not list items that infringe third-party intellectual property rights. Rights holders may submit takedown notices to legal@mysokoni.co.ke. We respond within 3 business days.

11. Suspension & Termination

SOKONI may suspend or permanently ban any account for:

• Violation of these Terms or our community guidelines
• Suspected fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
• 10 or more cancellations (drivers) or 3 confirmed fraud disputes (sellers) within 90 days
• Failure to complete KYC verification when required
• Court order, regulator instruction, or law enforcement request

Where possible, we will give 7 days' notice before termination (except for immediate fraud or safety concerns). You may appeal a suspension by emailing support@mysokoni.co.ke within 14 days.

On termination, any pending payouts above the minimum threshold will be processed within 30 days, minus outstanding fees. Funds held as security in active disputes will be released per the dispute outcome.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Kenyan law:

• SOKONI provides the marketplace platform "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind.
• We are not liable for the quality, safety, legality, or delivery of goods or services listed by third-party sellers.
• Our total liability for any claim arising from use of the platform is limited to the amount you paid to SOKONI in the 90 days preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.
• We are not liable for service interruptions caused by force majeure, third-party platform outages (including Firebase, M-Pesa, or IntaSend), or events beyond our reasonable control.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for fraud, death, or personal injury caused by our negligence, which cannot be excluded under Kenyan law.

13. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Kenya. Both parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Nairobi, Kenya for the resolution of any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or use of the SOKONI platform.

Before commencing legal proceedings, both parties agree to attempt good-faith resolution through SOKONI's dispute centre (Section 8) and, if unsuccessful, non-binding mediation under the Mediation Act, 2012.

Consumer rights under the Kenya Consumer Protection Act, 2012 are unaffected by this agreement.

14. Contact Us