Legal Document
Our privacy commitment: Mwangaza is built for people in vulnerable situations. We collect only what is strictly necessary to keep you safe, we never sell your data, and we treat every piece of information you share with us as deeply personal. Your privacy and safety are inseparable.
Mwangaza ("we," "us," "our") is a personal safety application developed and operated in Kenya. We are the data controller for all personal information collected through the Mwangaza mobile application.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you use our Service. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal data under applicable Kenyan data protection law, including the Data Protection Act, 2019.
We collect the following categories of personal data:
| Category | Examples | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity data | Full name, username, profile alias | Yes |
| Contact data | Phone number, email address | Yes |
| Location data | GPS coordinates at time of SOS trigger | Yes (SOS feature) |
| Audio data | Microphone recordings during SOS events | Optional |
| Alert data | SOS timestamps, alert status, responder actions | Yes |
| Trusted contact data | Names and phone numbers of contacts you designate | Yes |
| Safety notes | Optional text note attached to an SOS (e.g. route, vehicle description) | Optional |
| Device data | Device model, OS version, push notification token | Yes |
| Usage data | App interactions, crash logs, performance data | Automatic |
We collect personal data through the following means:
We only access your microphone and GPS when the SOS feature is actively triggered or when you explicitly enable these permissions.
We process your personal data for the following purposes and on the following legal bases:
We share your personal data only in the following circumstances:
All service providers are contractually required to process your data only on our instructions and to protect it in accordance with applicable law.
Location data is the most sensitive data we collect because it reveals where you are in a moment of potential danger. We treat it accordingly:
You may revoke location permission through your device settings at any time. Doing so will prevent the SOS location-sharing feature from working.
When an SOS is triggered, the application may begin an audio recording via your device microphone (if this permission has been granted). The recording is:
Mwangaza requests the following device permissions. Each is explained below. You can grant or revoke any permission at any time through your device settings.
| Permission | Why it is needed | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Precise location | To send your GPS coordinates to emergency contacts when an SOS is triggered. Without this, contacts cannot find you. | Yes (SOS feature) |
| Microphone | To record audio evidence during an active SOS event and transmit it to your emergency contacts. Never recorded outside of an SOS. | Optional |
| Notifications | To alert you when someone in your trusted contact network triggers an SOS so you can respond and assist them. | Recommended |
| Display over other apps | To show a small floating SOS button that remains visible while you use other apps. This allows you to trigger an emergency alert from any screen without returning to the app. User-controlled — can be disabled in settings at any time. | Optional |
| Schedule exact alarms | To trigger fake call features and safe check-in timers at the precise time you set. Without exact alarms, these safety features may trigger late. | Optional |
| Battery optimisation exemption | To prevent Android from suspending background safety services (such as check-in timers) when the screen is off. Without this, critical safety features may be delayed or disabled by the operating system. | Recommended |
| Read contacts | To allow you to select emergency contacts directly from your phonebook. Contact data is not uploaded — only the name and number of contacts you explicitly designate are stored. | Optional |
We take the security of your data seriously and implement the following measures:
No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach affecting your rights, we will notify you as required by law.
We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfil the purposes described in this Policy:
You may request earlier deletion of your data at any time by contacting us or using the account deletion feature in the app.
Under the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@mwangaza.app. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe a child under 16 has provided us with personal data without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately and we will delete such data promptly.
Users aged 16–17 should have parental or guardian awareness of their use of the Service.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will:
Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the revised Policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please contact our Data Protection Officer:
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner of Kenya at www.odpc.go.ke.