Art Soko — Terms of Service

Last Updated: October 2026

Welcome to Art Soko, a marketplace that connects independent artists with people interested in discovering and buying original artwork. Art Soko is available as a mobile app and as a website at artsoko.co.ke (together, the "Service").

By creating an account, uploading artwork, communicating with other users, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms of Service (the "Terms"), our Community Guidelines and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. About Art Soko

Art Soko provides a platform where artists can showcase their artwork and buyers can discover artwork and communicate directly with artists.

Art Soko provides the platform and communication tools. Art Soko is not the seller of any artwork and does not act as an agent for either the artist or the buyer.

Art Soko does not process or hold payments between users. Any agreement about the price, payment, delivery, collection, condition or ownership of artwork is made directly between the artist and the buyer.

1.1 How the Service works

2. Who can use Art Soko

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or use the Service.

When you sign up, you must confirm that you are 18 or older and that you agree to these Terms and the Privacy Policy. By creating an account, you confirm that the information you provide is accurate. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 18, we will close it and delete the associated data.

3. Independent Operator & Service Limitations

Art Soko is currently developed, owned and operated by Ephantus Gitau Maina, an independent operator based in Kenya (see Section 15), and is not a registered company unless stated otherwise.

3.1 As-is service

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not guarantee that the Service will always be available, uninterrupted, error-free or suitable for every purpose.

3.2 User-to-user transactions

Art Soko does not control or guarantee transactions between users. We are not responsible for:

Users are responsible for taking appropriate care and carrying out their own checks before entering into a transaction.

3.3 Returns and refunds

Because Art Soko is not the seller and does not handle payments, we cannot issue refunds or force a return. Each artist sets their own return policy. Buyers should agree on returns with the artist before paying, ideally in the chat so there is a written record.

If something goes wrong with a completed order, the buyer can use Orders → Need help with this order? to send a return request to the artist in the chat. If an artist misleads buyers (for example, the artwork never arrives or is clearly different from the listing) and won't put it right, report them. We may warn, restrict, suspend or close the account. Buyers can also contact the police or the Competition Authority of Kenya about suspected fraud or unfair dealing.

3.4 Artwork verification

Reviewing a listing before it goes public is a check against obvious breaches of these Terms. It is not verification of the artist's identity, the artwork's authenticity, ownership, value, condition or provenance.

Artists are responsible for ensuring they have the right to display and offer their artwork. Buyers should satisfy themselves that an artwork is authentic, accurately described and suitable before buying.

4. Marketplace Safety

4.1 Payments — our safety rule

Never send money, including by M-Pesa, before you have inspected the artwork in person. Pay on delivery or at collection, only once you have seen the piece and are happy with it. Buyers are reminded of this when they open a chat.

Art Soko will never ask you to send money through chat, and never asks for your M-Pesa PIN or passwords. Anyone claiming to be Art Soko and asking for money is a scammer — report them.

4.2 Meeting in person

If you arrange to meet, choose a public, secure and busy place, consider bringing someone with you, and take sensible care of your personal safety and valuables. Meetings are arranged at your own discretion. Our Safety Guidance page has more tips.

5. User Accounts

You must provide accurate information and keep your login details secure. You are responsible for activity on your account unless you promptly tell us about suspected unauthorised access.

You may add a username, profile photo and (for artists) a short bio, and choose who can see your username and photo. These must follow our Community Guidelines: no impersonation, offensive images or misleading information.

We may restrict, suspend or close an account where we reasonably believe it has been used to:

6. Your Content and Our Licence

6.1 You keep ownership

Artists keep all ownership and copyright in the artwork, images and text they upload. Art Soko does not claim ownership of your content.

6.2 Licence to Art Soko

So that we can run the Service, you give Art Soko a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, store, resize, display and share your listings and profile information:

This licence ends when you delete the listing or your account, except for copies already shared publicly before deletion and backups that are deleted on their normal cycle.

6.3 Intellectual property & copyright

You may only upload artwork you created yourself or have the necessary rights and permissions to use. You must not upload:

If we receive a credible intellectual-property complaint, we may remove or restrict the content while it is reviewed. Repeated or serious infringement may lead to suspension or closure of the account.

6.4 Prohibited content

You must not upload, post or share content that:

6.5 Reviews

Buyers can review a completed order. Reviews must be honest and about your own order. Don't post fake reviews, review yourself, or offer or demand anything in return for a review. Artists must not pressure buyers about reviews. We may remove reviews that break these rules.

6.6 Artwork descriptions

Artists must make reasonable efforts to describe their artwork accurately, and must not deliberately misrepresent the artist, materials, dimensions, condition, originality, ownership, provenance or any other important characteristic of the artwork.

7. Chat & Communication

Chat is provided so artists and buyers can communicate about artwork. You must not use chat to:

7.1 Chat privacy

Chat messages are visible only to the people in the conversation and are not shown publicly. Email addresses and phone numbers are never shown on profiles.

If a message is reported, a copy of that message is shared with the Art Soko team so they can review the report. We may also review relevant messages where reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, harassment, abuse, safety concerns or other serious misuse, and we limit that access to what the investigation needs.

Do not share passwords, financial credentials, ID numbers or other highly sensitive information in chat.

Editing messages. You can edit your own messages; the other person sees that a message was edited. Don't edit a message to change what was agreed or to mislead someone. The original wording is kept and may be checked if the chat is reported.

7.2 Calls

The rules for chat also apply to calls. Don't use calls to harass, threaten or pressure anyone, or to ask for payment before the buyer has seen the artwork. Don't record a call without the other person's permission. You can report a call from the chat's menu, and blocking someone stops their calls.

7.3 Blocking

You can block another user from their profile or from your chat with them. A blocked user can no longer message or call you. They are not told that you blocked them. You can unblock them later.

8. Reporting & Enforcement

You can report suspected scams, harassment, copyright infringement, prohibited content or other breaches using Report on an artwork, a profile or a chat message, or by emailing [email protected].

Depending on the circumstances, we may:

We may act without prior notice where reasonably necessary to protect users, the Service or third parties. If we permanently close an account, we tell the owner by email, with the reason.

8.1 Appeals

If you believe a listing was rejected or removed, or your account was restricted or suspended, by mistake, you can appeal within 30 days:

You can appeal each decision once. We reply within 72 hours. If we reverse the decision, the listing goes live again or your account gets full access again. If we keep a suspension, your account is closed and deleted, and we tell you by email. An account we close this way can't be opened again with the same email address.

9. Closing Your Account

You can stop using Art Soko at any time and delete your account:

Deletion requests are reviewed and completed within 72 hours, and you can cancel your request in the app until then. What happens to your information after deletion is explained in the Art Soko Privacy Policy.

If you only want a break, you can pause your account on the same screen instead. While paused, you're signed out, your listings are hidden and other users can't message you. Signing in again and confirming reactivates it.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including your rights as a consumer under Kenyan law.

11. Your Responsibility for Your Actions

You agree to be responsible for, and to compensate Art Soko for reasonable losses and costs arising from, any claim by a third party caused by your breach of these Terms, your content, or your transactions with other users.

12. Changes to the Service

We may add, change, suspend or discontinue features of Art Soko from time to time.

13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms when necessary. If the changes are significant, we will make reasonable efforts to tell you through the Service or by email before they take effect. Continuing to use the Service after that means you accept the updated Terms.

14. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Kenya, subject to any mandatory legal rights you have.

Please contact us first about any complaint or dispute so we can try to resolve it informally.

15. Contact

For questions, reports, complaints, copyright concerns or other matters relating to these Terms:

Art Soko
Email: [email protected]
Operator: Art Soko, operated by Ephantus Gitau Maina
Country: Kenya
Website: https://artsoko.co.ke