Terms & Conditions

1. Who we are

Zawadigital is an international platform that connects buyers with verified local businesses through digital gift cards. References to "we", "us", or "our" mean Zawadigital and its operators. References to "you" mean any person who accesses or uses the platform, whether as a buyer, a recipient, or a business partner.

2. Accounts & eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. You agree to provide accurate information and to keep it up to date. You are responsible for the security of your password and any activity under your account.

One email address may be associated with one account. If you already use Zawadigital as a buyer or admin, you cannot register a business with the same email — sign in instead, or use a separate business email.

3. Data protection & your privacy

Zawadigital processes personal data in accordance with the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019 and the regulations issued by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC). We act as a data controller for the personal data you submit to us.

3.1 What we collect

• Identity data: name, role, business name.
• Contact data: email address, phone number.
• Payment data: M-Pesa number, partially-masked card details, bank account details — used to send payouts to merchants and process purchases for buyers.
• Transactional data: orders, redemptions, refunds, payout history.
• Technical data: IP address, device type, log entries — used to keep the service secure and operational.

3.2 Why we process it

• To create and operate your account (contractual necessity).
• To process payments and pay out merchant earnings.
• To verify the legitimacy of businesses listed on the platform.
• To meet legal and regulatory obligations, including anti-fraud and tax reporting.
• To send you transactional notifications related to your account.

3.3 How we protect it

• Sensitive identifiers (phone numbers, card numbers, bank account numbers) are masked in the user interface so only the last few digits are ever shown after entry.
• Card numbers are never stored in full on our servers — only a tokenised reference returned by our PCI-DSS-compliant payment processor is retained.
• Passwords are stored using one-way cryptographic hashing.
• Access to personal data inside our team is limited to staff with a documented operational need.
• Data is transmitted over TLS and stored in encrypted databases hosted within the EU/EEA region.

3.4 How long we keep it

We retain personal data only for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out above, or as required by Kenyan tax and financial regulations (typically 7 years for transactional records). When data is no longer needed, it is deleted or irreversibly anonymised.

3.5 Your rights

Under the Data Protection Act, 2019 you have the right to:

• Be informed about how your data is being used.
• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Request deletion of your personal data, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Object to processing for direct marketing.
• Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (odpc.go.ke).

4. Payments, payouts & fees

Buyers pay for gift cards through the payment methods made available at checkout. Merchants receive payouts net of the platform commission (currently 10%) via the payout method registered during setup — M-Pesa, card refund channel, or bank transfer.

Payout numbers and account numbers entered during setup are verified and then displayed in masked form throughout the dashboard. Only the merchant who registered the method can edit it, and only after re-authentication.

5. Merchant obligations

• Honour every valid Zawadigital gift card up to its face value.
• Provide accurate business information and keep it current.
• Comply with Kenyan tax law, including issuing receipts where required.
• Treat customer data received through the platform in line with the Data Protection Act, 2019.
• Not engage in fraudulent, deceptive, or unlawful practices on the platform.

6. Buyer rights & refunds

Gift cards purchased through Zawadigital are non-refundable once redeemed. Unredeemed cards may be refunded within 14 days of purchase if the merchant has not yet been paid out. If a merchant ceases operations, Zawadigital will work to provide alternative redemption options or refunds where possible.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the platform for any unlawful purpose, including money laundering or fraud.
• Attempt to access another user's account or data.
• Reverse engineer, scrape, or attempt to disrupt the service.
• Upload content that is misleading, defamatory, or infringes another's rights.

We may suspend or terminate accounts found to be in breach of these terms.

8. Limitation of liability

Zawadigital provides the platform on an "as is" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by Kenyan law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform. Our total liability for any claim is capped at the amount paid by you to Zawadigital in the 12 months preceding the claim.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. When changes are material we will notify you by email and update the effective date at the top of this page. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated terms.

10. Contact us