Trust & Safety

Keeping Kenya's Marketplace Safe

SOKONI is built on trust. Every buyer, seller, driver, and service provider on our platform is protected by a layered system of verification, payment security, fraud detection, and community standards.

Last updated: July 2026·Bravilex International Co. Limited·Nairobi, Kenya

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Buyer Protection

Every purchase is covered. If your order doesn't arrive or isn't as described, you're protected by SOKONI's buyer guarantee.

Verified Sellers

Sellers undergo identity verification, business registration checks, and ongoing performance monitoring before and after approval.

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Secure Payments

All payments are processed through IntaSend, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya. We never hold your card number or M-Pesa PIN.

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Dispute Resolution

Dedicated mediation for buyer-seller disputes. Human review within 48 hours. Fair, transparent outcomes informed by evidence.

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Fraud Detection

AI-powered monitoring flags suspicious activity in real time — duplicate orders, payment anomalies, fake reviews, and account takeovers.

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Community Standards

Our Community Guidelines define what is and isn't allowed. Content moderation protects everyone from harmful, misleading, or illegal listings.

Buyer Protection

Every purchase on SOKONI is covered by our Buyer Protection Policy. If something goes wrong, we'll make it right.

30
Day return window
48h
Dispute response SLA
100%
Payment encrypted

What Buyer Protection covers

How to claim Buyer Protection

See our Refund Policy and Returns Policy for full terms.


Seller Verification

All sellers on SOKONI are subject to a verification process. We don't allow anonymous selling — every merchant is accountable.

Verification requirements

Bronze

New Seller

  • Phone verified
  • Basic listing access
  • Up to 20 listings
Silver

Verified Seller

  • National ID verified
  • Up to 100 listings
  • Verified badge displayed
Gold

Business Verified

  • Business registration verified
  • KRA PIN confirmed
  • Unlimited listings
Platinum

Enterprise Partner

  • Full due diligence
  • Priority support
  • Featured placement

Sellers who accumulate negative reviews, dispute losses, or policy violations are subject to performance warnings, listing restrictions, or permanent suspension.


Payment Security

Payments on SOKONI are handled exclusively by IntaSend, a Central Bank of Kenya-licensed payment processor. We never process card payments directly, and we never store card numbers or M-Pesa PINs.

Read more: Payment Security Centre


Dispute Resolution

When a buyer and seller cannot resolve an issue directly, SOKONI provides structured mediation. Our goal is a fair outcome informed by evidence, not just the loudest complaint.

How disputes work

Possible outcomes

Seller consequences

Sellers with a dispute loss rate above 5% receive a performance warning. Above 10% triggers a mandatory review. Persistent violations result in suspension.


Fraud Prevention

SOKONI operates a layered anti-fraud system combining rule-based detection with AI monitoring. We protect both buyers and sellers from fraud.

What we detect

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Duplicate Charges

Automated detection flags the same amount charged to the same account within 5 minutes. Duplicates are rejected before the second charge completes.

Payment Velocity

Unusual payment volumes — more than 20 transactions per hour from a single merchant terminal — trigger a real-time alert and review.

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Fake Reviews

Reviews are only accepted from verified buyers with completed transactions. Self-review, incentivised review, and review farming are detected and removed.

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Account Takeover

Unusual login patterns, impossible travel, and credential stuffing attempts trigger automatic session revocation and re-authentication requirements.

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Counterfeit Listings

AI scans new listings for known counterfeit signals — pricing far below market value, stock photos from known fake goods, brand name misuse — and flags them for human review.

Brute-force protection

Accounts are locked after 5 consecutive failed login attempts. Unlocking requires email or SMS verification. IP-based rate limiting applies across all authentication endpoints.


Content Moderation

All listings, reviews, and user-generated content on SOKONI are subject to moderation. Our standards are set out in detail in the Community Guidelines.

Prohibited content

Moderation process


Trust Levels & Verification Badges

SOKONI uses a Trust Passport system to communicate the verification level of every user on the platform. Badges are displayed on profiles, listings, and during checkout.

To start verification, visit your Profile and go to Settings → Verification, or visit the Verification Centre.


Reporting Abuse

Help us keep SOKONI safe by reporting anything suspicious. Your report is confidential and reviewed by a human within 24 hours.

How to report

Emergency safety situations

If you believe you are in immediate danger as a result of a transaction on SOKONI, contact the Kenya Police Service on 999 or 0800 722 203 immediately. Then contact us at security@mysokoni.co.ke so we can cooperate with law enforcement.

Intellectual property infringement

Rights holders may submit takedown requests to legal@mysokoni.co.ke. Include the infringing listing URL, proof of ownership, and a statement of good faith. We respond within 3 business days.


Contact Our Trust & Safety Team

Trust & Safety: trust@mysokoni.co.ke

Security incidents: security@mysokoni.co.ke

Legal / IP takedown: legal@mysokoni.co.ke

Privacy / KDPA requests: privacy@mysokoni.co.ke

General support: support@mysokoni.co.ke

Response times: trust reports <24h · security incidents <4h · legal takedowns <3 business days · general support <72h