1. Pilot status
Mechanika is currently operating as a three-month pilot project. The pilot is intended to test and improve the platform, workflows, reliability and user experience before wider rollout. Features and service arrangements may therefore be refined during the pilot.
Pilot status does not remove or reduce Mechanika's data-protection responsibilities. Personal data will continue to be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection requirements.
2. Who this policy applies to
This policy applies to Vehicle Owners, Corporate account users and contacts, garage users, garage staff, suppliers, towing-service contacts and other people whose personal data is entered into or generated through Mechanika.
Mechanika is responsible for personal data used to operate and administer the platform. A garage may also have its own responsibilities where it determines why and how customer information is used for workshop, accounting or legal purposes.
3. Information we collect
Depending on the features you use, Mechanika may process account and profile information such as name, company name, contact person, email address, mobile number, profile image and location/address; vehicle information such as registration number, chassis/VIN, fuel type, mileage and photographs; service and workshop records such as inspections, diagnostics, parts, job cards, approvals, invoices, costs and payment status; booking and communication records; insurance information voluntarily stored by a Vehicle Owner or Corporate account; supplier and procurement information; and security/audit information associated with account activity.
For Rescue Me, precise device location is requested only when the Vehicle Owner or Corporate user actively chooses to share their current location for a towing request. Mechanika does not use Rescue Me to continuously track a user in the background.
4. How we obtain information
We receive information directly from account holders, from garages recording legitimate vehicle-service activity, from vehicle owners approving or adding records, and from interactions with Mechanika features. Some vehicle or customer information may therefore be entered by an approved garage rather than by the Vehicle Owner personally.
5. Why we use personal data
We use personal data to provide and secure accounts; maintain vehicle and service histories; support work approvals, job cards, invoices, bookings and ownership transfers; provide Rescue Me towing requests; administer garage operations and procurement; provide data-rights tools; send service and account communications; prevent misuse; troubleshoot the platform; and maintain records reasonably required for operational, accounting, legal or dispute-resolution purposes.
Where processing depends on consent, consent can be withdrawn for future processing. Other processing may be necessary to provide a requested service, perform an agreement, comply with law, protect legitimate interests or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
6. Vehicle records and garage records
A vehicle may be linked to more than one garage. Each garage retains access to the service and operational records it legitimately created or needs for its own workshop and accounting history. Vehicle Owner deletion or an expired ownership transfer does not automatically erase garage-created service, payment, invoice or procurement records where there is a lawful or legitimate reason to retain them.
7. Who we may share information with
Information may be shared with the Vehicle Owner or Corporate account and garages linked to the relevant service relationship; selected towing providers when a Rescue Me request is submitted; suppliers where a garage sends a procurement order; technology and communication providers used to operate Mechanika; professional advisers or authorities where required by law; and other recipients explicitly authorized by the user.
Mechanika may use email, WhatsApp and in-app or push notifications for service and account communications. Communication preferences and verified WhatsApp details can be managed from the account profile. Objections to direct marketing are recorded separately from essential transactional communications.
8. International transfers and service providers
Some technology or communication providers may process data using infrastructure outside Kenya. Where personal data is transferred outside Kenya, Mechanika will use applicable safeguards required by Kenyan data-protection law and will review relevant provider arrangements as the platform evolves.
9. Retention
Personal data is kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is used, subject to legal, accounting, security, dispute-resolution and legitimate record-keeping requirements. Different categories may therefore have different retention periods. Vehicle Owner, Corporate and Garage deletion requests are reviewed before processing so eligible account data can be deleted while shared service, invoice, accounting or audit evidence that must legitimately remain can be retained in minimised or anonymised form where appropriate.
10. Security
Mechanika uses access controls, authenticated user sessions, password hashing, role-based permissions and HTTPS for data transmitted between supported browsers and the service. Security measures are reviewed as the platform develops. No online system can guarantee absolute security, so users should also protect their passwords and account access.
11. Your data-protection rights
Mechanika is committed to respecting applicable data-protection rights, including rights relating to information about processing, access, correction, objection, restriction in applicable circumstances, deletion where applicable and data portability. The Privacy & Data Rights centre is available to Vehicle Owner, Corporate and Garage accounts.
Access requests are tracked against a seven-day response deadline. Correction, restriction, objection and deletion requests are tracked against a fourteen-day response deadline. An administrator cannot complete a correction, restriction or objection request merely by changing its status: the corresponding action must be applied in Mechanika. Objections to direct marketing submitted through the Privacy & Data Rights centre are applied immediately.
For access requests, users can download a readable data report from the Privacy & Data Rights centre. Correction requests can result in supported account/profile fields being updated with an audit trail. Approved restriction and objection requests create processing controls against the relevant account. Deletion requests are reviewed before eligible data is deleted or anonymised so records that must legitimately remain for service, accounting, security or legal integrity can be handled appropriately.
12. Cookies, analytics and browser storage
Mechanika uses a strictly necessary secure session cookie for authenticated accounts and uses Google Analytics on the production website to understand general platform usage. Google Signals and advertising-personalisation signals are disabled in the current analytics configuration, and Mechanika does not currently use advertising cookies. Account-level objections to analytics are recorded in the Privacy & Data Rights centre, while browser-level analytics and cookie choices are governed by the Cookie Policy and applicable consent controls. Further details are available in the Cookie Policy.
13. Contact
For privacy questions or to exercise a data right, use the Privacy & Data Rights centre in your Mechanika account or contact info@mechanika.co.ke.
14. Changes to this policy
Mechanika may update this policy as the service, integrations or legal requirements change. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated when material changes are published.