These terms govern your use of Solemate Africa, our website, and our services. By creating an account, browsing the site, or placing an order, you agree to them.
1. Who these terms are with
The "site" and "platform" mean solemate.africa and any subdomain we operate.
"We", "us", or "Solemate Africa" mean Hawkshe Solemate Africa Limited, Brian Apartments, Kihumo Road, Nairobi, Kenya.
"You" means the person or business accessing the site, whether as a buyer, a seller, or a visitor.
2. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old to open an account or place an order. Sellers must be registered businesses or merchants as described in the Seller Verification & KYC policy.
3. Accounts
You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and for activity performed under your account. If you suspect unauthorised access, notify us at [email protected] immediately.
We may suspend or close accounts under the Acceptable Use policy or where required by law.
4. Solemate Africa's role as marketplace
Solemate Africa is a marketplace, not a retailer. Sellers list and fulfil their own goods; we operate the platform, collect payment on their behalf as merchant of record, and settle net proceeds to sellers under the Payments & Settlement policy.
- Product descriptions, images, prices, and lead times are supplied by the seller and are the seller's responsibility. We review listings before publication under the Acceptable Use policy but do not warrant that every listing detail is accurate.
- Where an order is defective, damaged, materially different from the listing, or undelivered, the seller is primarily responsible. See the Returns & Refunds policy and the Dispute Resolution policy for how those cases are handled.
5. Placing an order
An order is formed when you place it and payment is authorised. Until payment is authorised, the order is a request, not a contract.
Prices are quoted in KES by default, and in USD for international buyers where enabled. Currency and applicable delivery charges are shown at checkout before you pay.
6. Payments
Payment is collected on Solemate Africa's own M-Pesa short code or through our payment service provider, held in trust until fulfilment is confirmed, and then settled to the seller. Full mechanics live in the Payments & Settlement policy. Refunds follow the Returns & Refunds policy.
7. Delivery and pickup
Delivery is handled by licensed third-party courier partners or, where offered by the seller, by buyer pickup. Timeframes and costs are disclosed on the product page and at checkout. Full details are in the Shipping policy.
8. Acceptable use
Both sellers and buyers must comply with the Acceptable Use policy, which sets out what may not be listed, what conduct is expected, and how violations are handled.
9. Intellectual property
The Solemate Africa name, logo, site design, and platform software are owned by Hawkshe Solemate Africa Limited. You may use the site to browse and transact, but you may not copy, scrape, or resell the site's content or code without written permission.
Seller content — product images, descriptions, and brand assets — belong to the seller. By listing content on Solemate Africa, sellers grant us a non-exclusive licence to display and distribute that content on the platform, in marketing about the platform, and in transactional messages to buyers.
10. Warranties and limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by Kenyan law:
- Solemate Africa provides the platform as is and does not warrant that it will be uninterrupted or error-free.
- Product warranties are the responsibility of the seller. Where statutory consumer warranties apply under the Consumer Protection Act 2012, they are honoured through the seller and, where necessary, our Dispute Resolution process.
- Our aggregate liability to a buyer for any single order is limited to the amount paid for that order.
- We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses (for example, lost profits, missed occasions, or third-party services affected by a late delivery).
Nothing in these terms limits any statutory right that cannot lawfully be excluded.
11. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify Solemate Africa against claims arising from your misuse of the platform, from content you submit (including listings you upload as a seller), or from your breach of these terms.
12. Data and privacy
We handle personal data in accordance with the Privacy Policy and the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019.
13. Suspension and termination
We may suspend or terminate your access if:
- You breach these terms or the Acceptable Use policy
- We are required to do so by law or by our payment or infrastructure providers
- Verification documents cannot be produced when requested, per the Seller KYC policy
You may close your buyer account at any time by contacting [email protected]. Records we are legally required to keep (orders, KYC, tax records) are retained per the Privacy Policy.
14. Governing law and jurisdiction
These terms are governed by the laws of Kenya. Disputes arising out of these terms are subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Kenyan courts, without prejudice to consumer rights to use the Small Claims Court or the Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, as outlined in the Dispute Resolution policy.
15. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes are notified by email to registered users. The Last updated date at the foot of the page reflects the most recent version. Continued use of the site after a change constitutes acceptance.
16. Contact
For any question about these terms, write to [email protected] with "Terms" in the subject line.