This policy explains what information the Kijani SACCO mobile app and web platform (together, "Kijani") collect, why, and how it's protected. Kijani is software used by Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs) to manage member savings, shares, loans, and related group governance. Your SACCO is the data controller for your membership records; Kijani operates the platform on their behalf.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only what's needed to operate your SACCO membership account:

Category	Examples	Why
Account & identity	Full name, phone number, member number, profile photo, group/branch	Identify you, authenticate login, display your membership record
Authentication	PIN (stored as a one-way hash, never in plain text), session tokens	Secure sign-in to your account
Financial & transaction data	Savings balances, share capital, loan applications and repayment history, fines, dividend eligibility, investment contributions	Core SACCO membership functions — this is why the app exists
Signature	A captured image of your signature	Required by your SACCO's constitution/bylaws for loan contracts and next-of-kin declarations
Next of kin	Name, relationship, phone number, and beneficiary percentage of the people you designate	Required for loan guarantorship and succession per your SACCO's governance rules
Device & push notifications	A device token issued by Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google)	Deliver notifications (loan approvals, meeting reminders, messages) to your device
Camera & microphone	Live audio/video, only while you're actively in a scheduled SACCO meeting	Video meeting participation. Not recorded or stored by Kijani; access stops the moment you leave or close the meeting screen
Documents you upload	Loan contract signatures, meeting minutes (if you're an officer uploading them)	Recordkeeping required for SACCO governance and loan administration
Communications	Messages, poll votes, discussion forum posts within your SACCO	Internal SACCO communication features you choose to use

2. What We Don't Collect

• We do not access your device's location.
• We do not access your contacts, photo library, or other apps' data.
• We do not use advertising trackers, and there are no third-party ads in the app.
• Camera and microphone are used only during an active meeting session you join — never in the background.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To operate your SACCO account — process savings, shares, loans, fines, and dividends.
• To authenticate you and keep your account secure.
• To send you notifications relevant to your membership (approvals, reminders, meeting schedules, messages from your SACCO's administrators).
• To let your SACCO's officers and administrators manage the group's records, as governed by your SACCO's own bylaws and constitution — not by Kijani.
• To generate statements, loan contracts, and reports you request.

4. Who We Share Data With

We do not sell your data. Limited sharing happens only with the service providers that make the app work:

• Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) — delivers push notifications to your device. Google's own privacy policy applies to how they handle the device token.
• SMS/USSD gateway providers (e.g. Beem) — send SMS notifications where your SACCO has enabled SMS alerts.
• Your SACCO's own administrators and officers — see your membership, financial, and governance data as needed to run the SACCO, same as they would with a paper-based system.

We do not share your data with advertisers or data brokers.

5. Data Security

• PINs are stored as irreversible cryptographic hashes, never in plain text.
• All app traffic is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS).
• Access to SACCO data is scoped per tenant — one SACCO's administrators cannot see another SACCO's members.
• Signatures and uploaded documents are stored on access-controlled servers, not publicly browsable.

6. Data Retention & Your Rights

Your data is retained for as long as you're an active SACCO member, and afterward as required by your SACCO's own recordkeeping obligations (financial cooperatives are typically required to retain transaction records for a statutory period). To request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data, contact your SACCO's administrator directly, or reach us using the contact details below and we'll route the request appropriately.

7. Children's Privacy

Kijani is not directed at children. SACCO membership requires a member to be a legally eligible adult under the rules of their SACCO and applicable cooperative law. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

8. Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes, the "Last updated" date above will change accordingly. Material changes affecting how your data is used will be communicated through the app.