Privacy Policy for Hapa.ke

Last Updated: June 2026

At Hapa.ke, accessible from https://hapa.ke, the confidentiality and security of our user community are our highest operational priorities. This comprehensive Hapa ke privacy policy outlines the specific categories of personal, financial, and technical information we collect, record, and process, alongside how we utilize this data to maintain an administrative-vetted, scam-free classifieds network. Our operations are structurally aligned with the Kenya Data Protection Act (2019) and international digital privacy frameworks to ensure uncompromised safety for all users across East Africa.

By registering an account, interacting with classified advertisements, uploading product listings, or utilizing our integrated search (tafuta) functions, you hereby explicitly consent to the data collection and usage practices described in this document. If you do not agree with any provision within this Hapa ke privacy policy, you must immediately cease accessing our services.

1. Who We Are and Operational Scope

Our official website domain address is: https://hapa.ke. The platform operates as a secure, multi-regional business directory and classifieds venue managed by Project Sharaq for Africa. We facilitate direct consumer-to-consumer (C2C) and business-to-business (B2B) trading across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan.

2. Advanced Media Uploads and EXIF Data Protection

When you use the Chapisha Tangazo Bure button to publish listings or update your business directory storefront, you may upload high-resolution images of electronics, vehicles, or agricultural fresh produce. To preserve your personal safety, you must strictly avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included.

Our platform's servers perform basic image compression optimization via tools like LiteSpeed Cache to guarantee rapid page loading speeds across 66 million active mobile connections in Kenya. However, unvetted external visitors to the website can technically download and extract spatial location metadata from images publicly hosted on the network. Hapa.ke bears no liability for location leaks resulting from user-uploaded files containing active EXIF logs.

3. How We Utilize Cookies and Web Beacons

Hapa.ke utilizes persistent and session-based cookies to streamline core marketplace functionalities, store unique visitor preferences, and optimize user experience across all mobile devices.

User Comments & Inquiries: If you leave a comment or interact with an active listing, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website tracking cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your personal contact details again during future inquiries. These cookies automatically expire after one calendar year.
Login and Dashboard Authentication: If you visit our secure account login page, we deploy a temporary, non-personal cookie to evaluate if your active browser interface accepts cookies. This temporary file is instantly discarded the moment you close your web browser application.
Session Persistence: When you log into your Hapa.ke vendor dashboard, our system configures several internal cookies to lock in your unique credentials and screen display preferences. Dedicated login cookies remain valid for two continuous days, while customized screen option preferences persist for twelve months. Selecting the "Remember Me" option extends your active login token for two weeks. Logging out manually removes all secure login hashes immediately.
Content Management Trackers: If you edit an active listing, update an advertisement price, or publish a promotional article, an extra non-personal cookie is generated within your localized browser. This specific string simply logs the Post ID of the item you just adjusted and expires after exactly 24 hours.

4. Embedded Content from External Third-Party Networks

Articles, corporate profiles, and user listings on this site may occasionally include embedded media content (such as YouTube videos, interactive maps, or social media feeds). Embedded content from other external websites behaves in the exact same manner as if the unique visitor had navigated directly to the third-party website.

These independent digital networks may systematically collect anonymous data about your device, deploy tracking cookies, embed additional third-party marketing trackers, and closely monitor your real-time interaction with that specific embedded element—especially if you possess an active account and are currently logged into that external platform during your session.

5. Data Redistribution, Sharing Protocols, and Fraud Prevention

To preserve our 100% scam-free platform guarantee and protect users from mobile network financial fraud (such as M-Pesa or Airtel Money deployment traps), visitor interactions and public listing data are strictly cross-verified:

Password Reset Controls: If you request an administrative password reset via our automated system, your unique Internet Protocol (IP) address will be securely included in the verification reset email to block unauthorized cyber intrusions.
Automated Anti-Spam Diagnostics: All user-generated comments and submitted classified listings are passed through automated spam detection filter scripts to eliminate automated network bots, phantom accounts, and duplicate posts.
Legal Enforcement Cooperation: Hapa.ke cooperates fully with national telecommunications watchdogs, including the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK), and will disclose access logs if legally compelled during official anti-fraud inquiries.

6. Institutional Data Retention Frameworks

We enforce strict data retention timelines to keep our server architecture running fast via LiteSpeed Cache while honoring consumer privacy choices:

If an online visitor leaves a comment, the text block and its associated structural metadata are retained indefinitely. This architectural retention allows our moderation bots to recognize and instantly approve any subsequent follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a manual processing queue.

For individuals who complete account registration on our marketplace, we securely store all personal data provided within their public user profile. Every single user retains the absolute right to view, modify, or permanently erase their personal information at any given point (with the technical exception of changing their fixed username). Website administrators can also access, evaluate, and edit that specific account metadata to enforce platform safety standards.

7. Legal Data Privacy Rights Under the Kenya Data Protection Act

In accordance with the Kenya Data Protection Act (2019), users have complete ownership over their private personal information. If you have created a verified vendor profile or left active reviews on Hapa.ke, you are legally entitled to request an exported file containing the entirety of the personal records we hold about you, including any explicit details you have provided to us.

You can also request that our data security officers execute a permanent erasure of any personal records we store in our localized database. This comprehensive deletion protocol does not include any historical data that Hapa.ke is legally obligated to retain for vital administrative, judicial compliance, tax reporting, or security-audit purposes.