Platform Terms & Conditions

Terms of Use

By accessing or using VeriVote, you agree to these terms. Please read them carefully before using the platform. VeriVote is an independent candidate intelligence service — it is not a voting, registration, or official electoral service.

Version 1.0 • April 2026
Issued by VeriVote Leadership Team

Important Notice

VeriVote does not facilitate voting, voter registration, or any formal electoral transaction. V-Scores and candidate profiles are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any candidate. Always cross-reference with official sources.

Contents

Legal contact

legal@verivote.co.ke

Subject line: "Terms of Use Query"

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using the VeriVote platform at verivote.co.ke (the "Platform"), you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use ("Terms") and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

These Terms apply to all users, including:

Members of the public browsing candidate profiles
Registered voters with a VeriVote account
Candidates and their authorised representatives
Evaluators and analysts who contribute scores
Organisations that embed or link to VeriVote data

These Terms were last updated on April 2026. Continued use of the Platform after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Description of Service

VeriVote is an independent candidate intelligence platform that provides Kenyan voters with objective, data-driven information about political candidates ahead of the 2027 General Election. The Platform:

Aggregates and scores publicly available candidate information across five evaluation pillars
Displays a "V-Score" (VeriVote Score) derived from up to 80 indicators per candidate
Publishes constitutional compliance records, party compliance notices, and evaluation rationale
Provides educational resources for voters, candidates, and evaluators
Offers a candidate comparison feature

VeriVote is NOT an electoral service

VeriVote does not register voters, accept votes, influence official election results, or act as an agent of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). For official electoral services, visit iebc.or.ke.

2.1 Service Availability

VeriVote endeavours to keep the Platform available continuously, but does not guarantee uninterrupted access. Scheduled maintenance, security updates, or events beyond our control may result in temporary unavailability. We are not liable for any disruption to service.

3. Accounts & Registration

Some features of the Platform (such as bookmarking candidates or submitting evidence in the Candidate Response Protocol) require a registered account.

Obligation	Detail
Eligibility	You must be at least 18 years of age or a duly authorised representative of a candidate or organisation.
Accurate information	You must provide accurate, current, and complete registration information and keep it updated.
Account security	You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity under your account.
Prompt notification	You must notify us immediately at legal@verivote.co.ke if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.
One account per person	Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions or to inflate engagement metrics is prohibited.
Account termination	VeriVote may suspend or permanently terminate your account if you breach these Terms, without notice where necessary for security.

4. Permitted Use

You may use the Platform for lawful, personal, and non-commercial civic purposes including:

Researching candidates standing in the 2027 Kenya General Election
Sharing candidate profile links via personal social media or messaging
Using the comparison tool to evaluate candidates side-by-side
Downloading or printing candidate summaries for personal reference
Civil society organisations and journalists citing VeriVote data with clear attribution

Attribution requirement

Any public citation of VeriVote data must clearly attribute VeriVote as the source, include the date the data was accessed, and must not misrepresent or selectively distort the V-Score or its components.

5. Prohibited Conduct

The following are strictly prohibited when using the Platform:

Category	Prohibited Action
Misrepresentation	Falsely claiming VeriVote endorses or recommends a specific candidate or party.
Data manipulation	Attempting to manipulate, inflate, or deflate a candidate's V-Score or any evaluation indicator through fraudulent submissions or pressure.
Automated scraping	Using bots, crawlers, or automated tools to bulk-scrape candidate data without prior written permission from VeriVote.
Impersonation	Impersonating a candidate, VeriVote staff, evaluator, or any other user on or off the Platform.
Disinformation	Publishing or distributing content that selectively quotes, distorts, or misattributes VeriVote data to spread disinformation about any candidate.
Commercial exploitation	Reselling, licensing, or monetising VeriVote data or platform features without an explicit written commercial agreement with VeriVote.
Security attacks	Attempting to probe, scan, breach, or otherwise compromise the security or integrity of the Platform.
Harassment	Using the Platform or its data to harass, intimidate, defame, or threaten any candidate, user, evaluator, or VeriVote staff member.
Electoral interference	Using VeriVote data in coordination with any foreign or domestic actor to interfere with the electoral process contrary to Kenyan law.

Enforcement

Breaches of this section may result in immediate account termination, referral to the relevant Kenyan authorities, and civil or criminal liability under the Kenya Information and Communications Act, Cap 411A, and the Elections Act.

6. V-Score Disclaimer

The V-Score (VeriVote Score) is a composite metric calculated from up to 80 evidence-based indicators across five weighted pillars: Character & Integrity, Institutional Accountability & Transparency, Public Engagement & Inclusivity, Policy Development & Strategic Vision, and Professional Competence & Execution Ability.

Key limitations you must understand

V-Scores are not an instruction to vote for or against any candidate.
V-Scores reflect the quality and availability of evidence at the time of evaluation. Scores may be revised as new evidence emerges.
Some indicators carry a Limited Confidence rating where source data is incomplete. This is disclosed on every candidate profile.
Trust Coefficients may reduce a candidate's V-Score if active integrity investigations are confirmed. These adjustments are clearly documented.
The V-Score does not capture a candidate's future performance, personal character, or suitability for office in all its dimensions.
VeriVote is not responsible for decisions made solely on the basis of a V-Score.

For a full explanation of the scoring methodology, see the How Scoring Works page.

7. Candidate Data

Candidate profiles published on VeriVote are compiled from publicly available records, official government databases, and evidence submitted by candidates through the Candidate Response Protocol.

7.1 Accuracy and Corrections

VeriVote makes reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy but cannot guarantee that all information is free from error or fully current. Candidates who identify factual inaccuracies in their profiles should follow the Candidate Response Protocol. Verified corrections will be applied within the timelines set out in that protocol.

7.2 Public Interest Basis

The publication of candidate evaluation data is grounded in the public interest in transparent, informed elections, consistent with Section 30(g) of the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019. Candidates seeking public office hold positions of significant public trust, which warrants a higher degree of public scrutiny. This basis does not permit unlimited processing and VeriVote applies the minimum data necessary for each indicator.

Candidates wishing to submit evidence, request corrections, or challenge a V-Score component should use the formal Candidate Response Protocol. Informal or social media pressure will not affect scores.

8. Intellectual Property

All content, design, code, text, graphics, data compilations, and the V-Score methodology on the Platform are the intellectual property of the AHV Initiative (VeriVote) or are used under licence, and are protected by Kenyan copyright law and applicable international treaties.

Asset	What You May Do	What You May Not Do
VeriVote name & logo	Reference in editorial contexts with attribution	Use in any way that implies partnership or endorsement
Candidate profile pages	Share links; cite with attribution in reporting	Copy and republish in full without permission
V-Score data	Reference individual scores with clear attribution and date	Bulk download for redistribution or commercial products
Scoring methodology	Read and reference for journalistic or academic purposes	Copy, adapt, or commercialise without written agreement
Platform code	None — code is proprietary	Reverse-engineer, copy, or adapt any part of the codebase

For licensing, partnership, or media enquiries contact legal@verivote.co.ke.

9. Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to external websites including the IEBC, EACC, Kenya Gazette, and other official sources. These links are provided for reference only.

VeriVote has no control over the content, accuracy, or availability of external sites.
Inclusion of a link does not constitute endorsement of that site or its content.
You access external sites at your own risk and subject to those sites' own terms.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform and all content on it are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by Kenyan law, VeriVote disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to:

Warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
Warranties that the Platform will be uninterrupted or error-free
Warranties that candidate data is complete, accurate, or up to date at any given moment
Warranties that V-Scores will reflect a candidate's true governance capacity or future performance

VeriVote is an informational tool. Voters should consult multiple sources and exercise their own independent judgement when deciding how to vote.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, VeriVote (AHV Initiative), its directors, staff, evaluators, and technology partners shall not be liable for:

Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform
Any loss or damage arising from reliance on a V-Score or candidate profile
Any harm arising from a data breach or security incident caused by factors beyond our reasonable control
Decisions made in the course of any election campaign, electoral petition, or related legal proceeding based on VeriVote data

Where liability cannot be excluded entirely by law, VeriVote's total liability to you shall not exceed KES 10,000 or the amount you paid to access the Platform (if any), whichever is lower.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Kenya. Any dispute arising from or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Kenyan courts, unless resolved by mutual agreement through alternative dispute resolution.

Applicable legislation includes, but is not limited to:

Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019
Kenya Information and Communications Act, Cap 411A
Elections Act, No. 24 of 2011 (as amended)
Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018
Copyright Act, Cap 130 of the Laws of Kenya

13. Changes to These Terms

VeriVote reserves the right to update these Terms at any time. When material changes are made, we will:

Update the version date at the top of this page
Display a notice on the Platform for at least 14 days
Send a notification to registered users via email where the change materially affects their rights

Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of the revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

14. Contact

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about these Terms, or wish to report a potential breach, please contact us:

Channel	Detail
Legal enquiries	legal@verivote.co.ke — Subject: "Terms of Use Query"
Privacy / data	privacy@verivote.co.ke — Subject: "Data Subject Request"
General contact	Contact form at verivote.co.ke/contact
Postal address	AHV Initiative (VeriVote), Nairobi, Kenya
Response time	We aim to respond to all legal enquiries within 5 business days.

These Terms were prepared by the VeriVote Leadership Team. They do not constitute legal advice. If you require legal advice about your specific situation, please consult a qualified Kenyan legal practitioner.