Terms of Service

Last updated: 2026-07-04

1. Who We Are

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Dalfal mobile application and related services (together, "the Platform") operated by Dalfal ("we", "us", "our").

By creating an account or using the Platform in any way, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

The Platform has two types of users:

Kunde — a customer who posts a task and hires a service provider.
Fundi — a skilled worker who bids on tasks and delivers the service.

One person may hold only one active account. A kunde may apply to become a fundi through the in-app upgrade path; both roles cannot be active at the same time.

2. Dalfal's Role — Neutral Marketplace

Dalfal is a technology platform that connects kundes with fundis. We are not a party to any service contract formed between a kunde and a fundi. We are not the employer of fundis. Fundis are independent service providers, not employees, agents, or contractors of Dalfal.

What Dalfal provides:

The technology to post tasks and submit bids.
Identity verification for fundis before they can take bookings.
Payment facilitation via mobile money (M-Pesa in Kenya; WaafiPay / EVC Plus in Somalia).
In-app messaging between kundes and fundis.
A ratings and reviews system.

What Dalfal does not do:

Supervise, direct, or control how a fundi performs any service.
Guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or outcome of any service.
Guarantee that a task will receive bids, or that a fundi will be hired.
Accept liability for a fundi's acts or omissions.

The service contract for each job — its scope, price, and performance standards — is formed directly between the kunde and the fundi when the kunde accepts a bid. Dalfal is not a party to that contract.

3. Who Can Use Dalfal

To use the Platform you must:

Be at least 18 years old.
Be an individual (corporate accounts are not currently available).
Hold a valid phone number on a network that supports the Platform's payment rails.
Have the legal capacity to enter binding contracts under applicable law.
Not be prohibited from using the Platform by a prior Dalfal suspension or by any applicable law.

By using the Platform you confirm all of the above are true. If we discover otherwise, your account may be suspended or terminated.

4. Creating and Verifying Your Account

4.1 Registration

To create an account you provide a valid phone number and confirm it with a one-time code delivered via WhatsApp or email. You may also provide your name and email address.

4.2 Accuracy

All information you provide must be accurate and kept up to date. Do not impersonate any person or use a name you are not entitled to use.

4.3 Verification by role

Kunde: verified by phone number only. We do not collect your national ID document, selfie, or any biometric data. Your financial accountability is established through the payment rail tied to your registered phone number.

Fundi: before accepting any booking you must complete a full Know Your Customer (KYC) process. This requires a photo of your government-issued ID (front and back) and a selfie that will be compared against the ID portrait. A member of the Dalfal team reviews your submission before approval.

Your ID images are stored in a private, access-controlled store. Your ID number is never stored in plain text — it is scrambled into an unreadable form immediately on entry and the original is discarded. Only the last four digits are kept for duplicate-account prevention. KYC approval is required before a fundi account can accept jobs or receive payouts.

4.4 Account security

Keep your login credentials and verification codes secure. Do not share your account. If you believe your account is compromised, contact us at security@dalfal.com immediately.

4.5 One account per person

Each person may hold only one account. Creating multiple accounts to get around a suspension or any Platform rule will result in all associated accounts being removed.

5. Customer (Kunde) Responsibilities

As a kunde you agree to:

Post tasks that accurately describe the work, including location, required skills, expected timeline, and a genuine budget.
Not post tasks for services that are illegal, dangerous, or that violate these Terms.
Communicate honestly and respectfully with fundis.
Be present or make your property accessible at the agreed time so the fundi can complete the work.
Pay the agreed amount promptly and through the Platform only — not by side payment outside the Platform for work matched here (see Section 11).
Leave an honest rating and review after a job is completed.
Not submit a cancellation or refund request in bad faith.

6. Service Provider (Fundi) Responsibilities

As a fundi you agree to:

Keep your profile accurate and current, including your service area and the categories of work you can perform.
Bid only for tasks you are genuinely able and willing to complete.
Perform the agreed work to a competent standard, at the agreed time and location.
Hold any licences, trade certificates, or government registrations required by law for your category of work. Dalfal does not verify trade qualifications beyond the KYC identity check.
Communicate honestly and respectfully with the kunde.
Not accept payment outside the Platform for work matched through Dalfal (see Section 11).
Leave an honest rating and review after a job is completed.
Keep confidential any personal information about a kunde that you learn through the Platform and use it only to complete the booked job.
Comply with all applicable laws relating to the services you provide, including occupational health and safety obligations.

7. How Bidding Works

7.1 Submitting a bid

A fundi who wants to work on a posted task submits a bid through the Platform. The bid amount equals the task budget set by the kunde. By bidding, a fundi confirms they accept that budget as full payment for completing the work.

7.2 Bid fee

A small bid fee may apply. The current fee (if any), its currency, and the amount are displayed in the app before you confirm a bid. The fee covers platform costs and helps ensure serious bids only.

7.3 Bid acceptance

A kunde is under no obligation to accept any bid. When a kunde accepts a bid, a service contract is formed directly between the kunde and the fundi at the task budget price. Dalfal facilitates but is not a party to that contract. Accepting a bid also creates the Job Agreement described in Section 8 below.

7.4 Diaspora escrow (photo-proof jobs)

For jobs posted by diaspora customers paying in USD, Dalfal operates a photo-proof escrow model. The customer's payment is held in escrow until the fundi submits photographic evidence of completion and a Dalfal verifier confirms the work is done. Both parties are shown the escrow terms before the job is confirmed.

7.5 No double-booking

A fundi must not accept a bid for a task if they are already committed to another task at the same time and location and cannot reasonably complete both.

8. Job Agreement — What You Both Agree To When a Bid Is Accepted

When a kunde accepts a fundi's bid, both parties enter into a direct job agreement with each other. Dalfal is not a party to this agreement — we are the platform that records and facilitates it. The seven elements below set out the terms of that agreement. Payment terms and cancellation rules are summarised here and set out in full in Sections 9 and 10.

8.1 Scope of Work

The task title, description, and category posted by the kunde define exactly what the fundi is agreeing to do. This is the scope of the job.

What is included: any work described in the task posting at the time the bid is accepted, and any clarifications agreed in writing via in-app messages before work begins.

What is not included: anything not described in the task posting. If the kunde wants additional work that was not part of the original task, that is a new job and requires a separate task posting and a new agreement. The fundi is not obliged to carry out out-of-scope work under the original price.

If there is any doubt about what is included, both parties should agree in writing via the in-app chat before work begins.

8.2 Timelines and Deadlines

The agreed date and time window for the job is the one set out in the task posting and confirmed at the point the bid is accepted.

If the fundi is late or cannot attend: the fundi must tell the kunde as soon as possible via the in-app chat. If the fundi cannot attend at all, the kunde may cancel and seek a full refund (see Section 10).
If the kunde is not available: the kunde must give reasonable notice to the fundi via the in-app chat. Repeated unavailability without notice may affect the outcome of any refund request.
If the job takes longer than expected: both parties should agree any extension in writing via the in-app chat. The fundi is not entitled to additional payment for time overruns unless both parties agree a revised scope (which requires a new task).

8.3 Payment Terms

The agreed task budget is the full price for completing the described work. No extra charges may be added on top of the agreed budget without a separate written agreement between the two parties.

Payment is made through the Platform's mobile money rails (M-Pesa in Kenya; WaafiPay / EVC Plus in Somalia). The kunde pays at or before the start of the job as directed by the Platform. The fundi receives their payout after the job is confirmed complete and any applicable dispute window has passed — see Section 9 for the full payment flow.

For diaspora USD jobs, the customer's payment is held by Dalfal in escrow and released to the fundi only after photo proof of completion has been reviewed and confirmed.

The platform commission and any applicable bid fee are disclosed in the app before a bid is confirmed. These amounts are deducted from the fundi's payout — the kunde pays the full task budget with no additional platform charges on top.

8.4 Revision Policy

What is included at no extra cost: if the completed work does not match what was described in the original task, the fundi should correct it at no extra charge. This covers genuine mistakes or omissions relative to the agreed scope — for example, a cleaner who was asked to clean the kitchen but left the sink dirty.

What is not included: a change of mind by the kunde, new requirements not in the original task, or work that goes beyond the original scope. If the kunde wants changes beyond what was originally described, this is a new job at additional cost and requires a new task posting on the Platform.

If there is a dispute about whether a correction is within scope, either party may raise a formal dispute — see Section 20.

8.5 Usage Rights

Physical services (repairs, cleaning, construction, and similar): the kunde owns the result of the work once paid for. No separate usage agreement is needed.

Deliverable-based work (photography, design, written content, and similar): once the fundi has been paid in full, the kunde has the right to use the deliverable for the purpose described in the task posting. Unless both parties agree otherwise in writing via the in-app chat before work begins, the fundi retains their underlying creative rights but grants the kunde a permanent right to use the deliverable for the stated purpose.

Confidentiality: the fundi must keep confidential any personal information about the kunde — name, address, phone number, or details about the property or household — that they learn through the job. That information may only be used to complete the booked work and must not be shared with third parties.

8.6 Cancellation Policy

See Section 10 for the full cancellation and refund rules. In summary:

Before a bid is accepted: either party may walk away at no cost. The kunde can cancel the task posting; the fundi simply does not bid or withdraws a pending bid.
After a bid is accepted, before work starts: the kunde may cancel but a cancellation fee may apply to compensate the fundi for time set aside. The fee is shown in the app at the time of cancellation.
During or after work has started: cancellation is handled through the Platform's dispute process (Section 20). Refunds at this stage depend on how much work has been completed and the outcome of any dispute review.

Refunds are returned to the original paying mobile money number only. We do not issue refunds to a different number or via any other method. See Section 10 for the full refund rules.

8.7 Signature and Date — Electronic Acceptance

By tapping "Accept bid" (as a kunde) or by having your bid accepted (as a fundi), both parties electronically agree to the job agreement set out in this Section 8, as well as to the full Terms of Service.

This electronic acceptance is legally binding and takes the place of a handwritten signature. The Platform records a timestamp of acceptance for both parties. Both the kunde and the fundi can see the task description, agreed budget, and acceptance date at any time in the in-app job detail view.

If you are a fundi, accepting a bid means you are committing to do the described work for the agreed price. If you are a kunde, accepting a bid means you are committing to pay the agreed amount and to make the work accessible at the agreed time.

9. Payments, Fees, and Taxes

9.1 Payment methods

Payments are processed via the mobile-money rails available in your country: M-Pesa (Kenya, KES) and WaafiPay / EVC Plus (Somalia, USD). By using the payment features you agree to the payment provider's own terms and conditions, available on the provider's website.

9.2 Payment flow

When a bid is accepted, the kunde pays the full task budget through the Platform. Once the job is confirmed complete and any applicable dispute period has passed, Dalfal disburses the net fundi payout to the fundi's registered payment number. For diaspora escrow jobs, payment is held until photo proof of completion is confirmed — see Section 8.3.

9.3 Platform commission

Dalfal charges a platform commission as consideration for its services to the fundi. The commission rate is disclosed in the app before the fundi confirms a bid.

9.4 Taxes

Fundis are responsible for complying with all applicable tax obligations arising from income received through the Platform, including any income tax or withholding levy applicable under the laws of their jurisdiction.

9.5 Transaction records

Dalfal retains records of all payment transactions for a minimum of 7 years from the transaction date, or such longer period as required by applicable financial record-keeping law.

10. Cancellations and Refunds

This section sets out the full cancellation and refund rules. Section 8.6 provides a plain-language summary in the context of the Job Agreement.

10.1 Before a bid is accepted

A kunde may cancel a task posting at any time before a bid is accepted, at no charge.

10.2 After a bid is accepted but before work begins

If a kunde cancels after a bid is accepted but before work has started, the fundi may be entitled to a cancellation fee. The fee schedule is shown in the app and communicated at the time of cancellation.

10.3 During or after work

Once work has started, the kunde and fundi are expected to resolve any issues directly through in-app messaging first. If they cannot, either party may raise a formal dispute (see Section 20).

10.4 Refunds

Refunds are issued at Dalfal's discretion following a dispute review, subject to the outcome of the dispute process, the payment provider's reversal mechanics, and applicable consumer-protection law.

Refunds are returned via the payment provider to the original paying number only. We do not issue cash refunds or refunds to a different number without prior verification.

11. Prohibited Conduct

Off-platform dealing

Arranging or accepting payment for a service introduced through Dalfal outside the Platform's payment system. All payments for work matched through Dalfal — including follow-on jobs within 12 months of the original introduction — must be processed through the Platform.
Sharing personal contact details (phone number, social media, email) to circumvent Platform fees.

Fraud and misrepresentation

Creating a false or misleading profile, task, bid, review, or any other content.
Impersonating any person or falsely representing your qualifications or availability.
Submitting false or fabricated KYC documents.
Manipulating the ratings or review system.
Raising a dispute, cancellation, or refund request in bad faith.

Illegal and harmful activity

Posting tasks or performing services that are illegal under applicable law.
Using the Platform to facilitate money laundering, terrorism financing, fraud, or any other financial crime.
Harassing, threatening, abusing, or discriminating against any other user.
Uploading content that is obscene, defamatory, harmful to minors, or unlawful, including any child sexual abuse material. Such content will be removed and reported to the relevant authorities immediately.
Accessing Platform data by means other than the interfaces Dalfal provides.
Attempting to reverse-engineer, copy, or scrape the Platform.

Multiple accounts

Creating more than one account, or creating a new account after a suspension or termination, without Dalfal's prior written consent.

Dalfal may suspend or terminate accounts found to be engaged in any prohibited conduct, with or without notice depending on the severity of the conduct.

12. Ratings and Reviews

12.1 When you can leave a review

Reviews may be submitted after a job has been marked as complete on the Platform. Reviews are not permitted for jobs cancelled before work began.

12.2 Honesty required

Your review must honestly reflect your genuine experience. You must not:

Review a job you did not participate in.
Solicit, bribe, or threaten another user in connection with a review.
Submit multiple reviews for the same job.
Make false statements of fact about another user.

12.3 Removal

Dalfal may remove a review that violates these Terms or applicable law. We do not remove reviews simply because they are negative, provided they are honest and comply with these Terms.

13. Intellectual Property

The Dalfal name, logo, Platform software, design, and all content created by Dalfal are owned by or licensed to Dalfal and are protected by applicable intellectual-property law. You must not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from them without our prior written consent.

By posting content on the Platform (task descriptions, photos, messages, reviews), you grant Dalfal a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, store, display, and moderate that content for the purpose of operating and improving the Platform. This licence ends when the content is deleted or your account is closed, except where retention is required by law.

You retain ownership of content you post. You confirm that you own or have the right to use any content you upload, and that it does not infringe any third party's rights.

14. Content You Post

You are solely responsible for all content you post on the Platform, including task descriptions, photos, messages, and reviews. Dalfal is not the author of user content and does not endorse it.

If you believe content on the Platform is unlawful, defamatory, or otherwise in violation of these Terms, please report it using the in-app reporting feature. Dalfal will review reports and take appropriate action, which may include removal of the content and reporting to relevant authorities.

15. Privacy and Data Protection

Dalfal processes your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection law and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Key points:

What we collect: phone number (all users); name and email (where provided); task content, bids, and messages; payment metadata; push tokens. For fundis only: government-issued ID images, selfie, date of birth, declared service area, and a scrambled, unreadable version of the ID number plus its last four digits. We do not collect a kunde's national ID or selfie.
How we store it: on our own secured servers and in a private file store with access-controlled, time-limited link delivery. Identity verification images are never publicly accessible.
ID numbers: never stored in readable form — only a scrambled version and the last four digits are kept.
Third parties: payment providers (M-Pesa / WaafiPay), Google and Apple (push notifications), and a private file store for identity verification and task photos. We do not sell your data.
Your rights: you have the right to access, correct, and request deletion of your personal data under applicable law. Email privacy@dalfal.com to exercise these rights.

16. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available."

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

Dalfal does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from harmful components.
Dalfal does not verify trade qualifications, licences, insurance, or professional certifications of any fundi beyond the KYC identity check.
Dalfal does not guarantee that any fundi is suitable for any particular task or that work will be completed to your satisfaction.
Dalfal does not guarantee the accuracy of ratings and reviews.
Nothing in these Terms affects any statutory rights you may have as a consumer under applicable consumer-protection law that cannot be excluded by contract.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Dalfal's total aggregate liability to you — whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise — arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform, shall not exceed the greater of:

the total commission paid to Dalfal in connection with the specific transaction giving rise to the claim; or
an amount equivalent to USD 50.

Dalfal is not liable for:

Any loss or damage arising from a service contract formed between a kunde and a fundi, including personal injury, property damage, or financial loss resulting from a fundi's act or omission.
Loss of profit, loss of business, loss of data, or any indirect or consequential loss.
Failure of M-Pesa, WaafiPay / EVC Plus, or any other third-party service Dalfal does not control.
Loss caused by your failure to keep your account credentials secure.

Nothing in this section limits Dalfal's liability for death or personal injury caused by Dalfal's negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any liability that cannot be excluded or limited by applicable law.

18. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Dalfal, its directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, losses, damages, costs (including reasonable legal fees), and liabilities arising out of or related to:

Your use of the Platform in breach of these Terms.
Any service you perform or receive through the Platform, including personal injury, property damage, or financial loss caused by your acts or omissions.
Any content you post on the Platform.
Your violation of any applicable law or the rights of a third party.

19. Suspension and Termination

19.1 By Dalfal

Dalfal may suspend or terminate your account at any time if:

You breach these Terms or any policy incorporated by reference.
You engage in fraudulent, abusive, or illegal conduct.
Your account poses a risk to other users or to the Platform.
We are required to do so by applicable law or a lawful order.
Your account has been inactive for 24 consecutive months.

Where termination follows a breach, Dalfal will give reasonable notice where practicable, except where immediate action is needed to protect other users. Where a fundi's account is terminated after a kunde has paid for a job, Dalfal will endeavour to refund the kunde.

19.2 By you

You may close your account at any time by contacting support@dalfal.com or using the in-app account-closure feature. Closing your account does not extinguish any obligation you have to another user under an existing service contract, or any debt you owe to Dalfal.

19.3 What happens when an account is closed

Your profile and history are no longer visible to other users.
Your personal data is retained for the periods set out in our Privacy Policy and then deleted, subject to legal retention obligations.
Identity verification images (fundi only) are deleted from storage no later than 2 years after account closure, subject to applicable KYC retention requirements.
Any pending payouts owed to a fundi at the time of closure will be processed in accordance with the then-current payment flow.

20. Disputes Between Users

20.1 Direct resolution first

If you have a dispute with another user about a job, try to resolve it directly through in-app messaging. We encourage both parties to reach a mutually acceptable outcome. The Job Agreement in Section 8 sets out each party's commitments and is a useful reference when resolving disagreements.

20.2 Platform dispute process

If direct resolution fails, either party may raise a formal dispute through the in-app dispute feature or by emailing support@dalfal.com. Dalfal will:

Notify both parties that a dispute has been raised.
Give each party a reasonable opportunity to submit their account and any supporting evidence.
Review the submissions and make a determination within a reasonable timeframe.
Apply any available remedy, including releasing or withholding payment, issuing a partial refund, or acting against a user found to have acted in bad faith.

Dalfal's determination is a platform-level decision, not a legal judgment. It does not prevent either party from pursuing their legal rights separately.

20.3 Governing law

These Terms are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the applicable laws of the jurisdiction in which Dalfal operates. For customers in Kenya, Kenyan law applies. For customers in Somalia, applicable Somali law applies.

21. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the applicable laws of Kenya (for Kenya-based users) and the applicable laws of Somalia, including Somaliland (for Somalia-based users). Any dispute that cannot be resolved through the Platform's process will be referred to the competent courts or an agreed arbitral forum in the applicable jurisdiction.

22. Changes to These Terms

Dalfal may update these Terms from time to time. When we make a material change, we will notify you via the app or push notification, update the date at the top of this page, and give you a reasonable opportunity to review the changes before they take effect.

Your continued use of the Platform after a change takes effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with a change, you must stop using the Platform and close your account before the change takes effect.

We will not make changes retroactively to your detriment in respect of transactions already completed.

23. Contact Us

Dalfal
General enquiries and support: support@dalfal.com
Legal and compliance: legal@dalfal.com
Privacy and data-protection requests: privacy@dalfal.com
Security reports: security@dalfal.com