Terms of use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Pathrel, the career guidance platform operated by Pathrel Limited, a company registered in Nairobi, Kenya, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Pathrel Limited, and they govern every page, tool, and feature the platform offers.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the platform. You must be at least sixteen years old to use it. By using Pathrel, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement, and that you are legally permitted to enter into this agreement in the jurisdiction where you live.

These Terms apply to both signed-in users and anonymous readers. Browsing the catalogue without an account still constitutes use of the platform, and the sections on acceptable conduct, intellectual property, disclaimers, and governing law apply equally to readers and account holders.

2. Description of Service

Pathrel provides a career guidance platform that helps students, graduates, and professionals in Kenya make informed decisions about courses, careers, and institutions. The platform includes the following services:

• A searchable catalogue of courses offered by Kenyan universities, colleges, and TVET institutions
• Career path exploration with AI automation exposure ratings, showing how susceptible each career is to automation
• University and college information pages with fees, entry requirements, and programme details
• An AI Career Coach that provides conversational career guidance grounded in catalogue records
• Self-discovery assessments that match your strengths and interests to suitable courses and careers
• Salary benchmarks and hiring rate data aggregated from public sources
• Course and career comparison tools for evaluating options side by side
• A shortlist feature for saving courses, careers, and institutions to your account

All services are provided for informational and educational purposes only. The platform does not constitute professional career counselling, academic advising, employment placement, or financial advice. You should not make enrolment, career, or financial decisions based solely on information provided by Pathrel without independently verifying it against primary sources.

3. Definitions

In these Terms, the following definitions apply:

• "Platform" means the Pathrel website at pathrel.com, the mobile application, the signed-in user app at app.pathrel.com, and all associated services and subdomains.
• "User" means any individual who accesses or uses the Platform, whether or not they have created an account.
• "Content" means all text, data, graphics, images, rankings, ratings, and other materials displayed on the Platform.
• "User-Generated Content" means reviews, ratings, feedback, notes, and other content submitted by users through their accounts.
• "AI-Generated Content" means career recommendations, exposure assessments, coaching responses, and other insights produced by the platform's AI models.
• "Catalogue Records" means the structured data about courses, careers, and institutions that forms the core of the platform's content.
• "Services" means all features, tools, and functionalities offered through the Platform, whether free or paid.

4. User Accounts and Registration

To access certain features, including the shortlist, AI Career Coach, and self-discovery assessments, you must create an account. By registering, you agree to:

• Be at least sixteen years of age
• Provide accurate and complete registration information, including a valid email address
• Maintain the security of your account credentials and sign-in links
• Maintain only one account per person
• Promptly update any changes to your information, including your email address
• Notify us promptly if you believe your account has been compromised

Authentication on Pathrel uses passwordless sign-in links sent to your email address, so there is no password for you to remember or for anyone to steal. You are responsible for keeping your email account secure, and for all activities that occur under your Pathrel account.

Pathrel reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, that are inactive for more than twelve consecutive months, or that are associated with fraudulent or abusive behaviour.

5. User Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful, fraudulent, or harmful purpose
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems, databases, or other users' accounts
• Interfere with the proper functioning of the Platform, including its search, filtering, and ranking systems
• Submit false, misleading, or fabricated information in assessments, reviews, or contact forms
• Impersonate another person, entity, or institution
• Distribute malware, spam, phishing links, or malicious code through the Platform
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract Platform data without prior written permission
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of the Platform
• Harass, threaten, defame, or abuse other users, institution staff, or Pathrel team members
• Violate any applicable Kenyan law, including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, the Data Protection Act, 2019, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2012
• Use the Platform to discriminate against individuals based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit Platform content without written authorisation

6. User-Generated Content

By submitting reviews, ratings, notes, or other content to the Platform, you:

• Grant Pathrel a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your content on the Platform and in related communications
• Represent and warrant that your content is truthful, accurate, and based on your genuine experience or honest assessment
• Acknowledge that reviews may be published anonymously to protect your identity, and that Pathrel may edit content for clarity or length without changing its meaning
• Accept that Pathrel may remove, hide, or annotate content that is defamatory, offensive, misleading, spam, or in violation of these Terms, without prior notice to you
• Retain ownership of your content, subject to the licence granted above

Pathrel does not actively moderate all user-generated content before it appears, but we review reported content promptly and act on violations. If you see content that you believe is false, harmful, or unlawful, report it to [email protected].

7. AI-Generated Content Disclaimer

The Platform uses artificial intelligence to generate career recommendations, exposure assessments, coaching responses, and other insights. You acknowledge that:

• AI-generated outputs are probabilistic and based on available data patterns, and they are not guarantees of future outcomes, employment prospects, or earnings
• AI recommendations should not replace professional career counselling, academic advising, financial guidance, or your own independent judgment
• The Platform does not provide professional career, financial, legal, medical, or psychological advice, and AI-generated responses should not be treated as such
• AI models may have limitations, biases, and gaps in their training data despite our best efforts to mitigate them
• Exposure ratings reflect current estimates of automation susceptibility and may change as technology and labour markets evolve
• You are responsible for verifying AI-generated information against primary sources before making decisions based on it

8. Intellectual Property

All content on the Platform, including catalogue records, text, graphics, logos, software, AI models, data compilations, and visual design, is owned by Pathrel Limited or our partners and is protected under the Kenya Copyright Act, Cap 130 of the Laws of Kenya, and applicable international copyright laws.

• You may not reproduce, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from Platform content without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use as permitted by applicable copyright law
• "Pathrel" and the Pathrel logo are trademarks of Pathrel Limited, and you may not use them without written authorisation
• Fair use of Platform content for personal, educational, or research purposes is permitted under applicable copyright law, provided that the source is acknowledged
• University names, logos, course names, and programme details are the property of their respective institutions, and Pathrel displays them for informational purposes only
• Data sourced from government publications, industry reports, and public records remains the property of the original publisher

9. Payment Terms

• Free tier: Core features including catalogue browsing, self-discovery assessments, course matching, AI exposure ratings, and a limited number of AI Career Coach conversations per week are free to use, with no payment required and no credit card needed.
• Paid plans: Pro and Professional plans offer additional features such as unlimited AI Career Coach conversations, advanced comparison tools, and institutional dashboards. Prices are displayed on the pricing page before any charge is applied.
• Currency: All prices are displayed in Kenyan Shillings (KES) and include applicable taxes where required by Kenyan law.
• Billing cycle: Monthly subscriptions are billed in advance on the same calendar day each month. Annual subscriptions are billed in advance for twelve months from the date of purchase.
• Refunds: Refunds are governed by our separate Refund Policy, available at pathrel.com/legal/refund-policy, which forms part of these Terms by reference.

10. Third-Party Content and Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, including university application portals, scholarship databases, government resources, and external career tools. We do not control, endorse, or assume responsibility for third-party content, products, or services.

• University and course data is sourced from publicly available information published by the institutions themselves, and may not reflect the most current offerings, fees, or entry requirements. Always verify with the institution before applying.
• Hiring rate and salary data is aggregated from government labour statistics, industry surveys, and public job postings, and represents estimates rather than guarantees.
• Exposure ratings are derived from publicly available research on automation and labour market trends, and are provided as guidance, not prediction.
• We are not responsible for the accuracy, privacy practices, availability, or content of external websites linked from the Platform.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by Kenyan law, Pathrel disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to:

• Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement of third-party rights
• Warranties that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or available at all times
• Guarantees of the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of catalogue records, career recommendations, AI assessments, salary data, or any other information on the Platform
• Warranties that defects or errors will be corrected, or that the Platform is free of harmful components

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Kenyan law, Pathrel shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Platform or reliance on information provided through it.

Our total aggregate liability for any claims arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed KES 10,000 or the amount you paid Pathrel in the twelve months preceding the claim, whichever is greater.

This limitation does not apply to liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or wilful misconduct, or to any liability that cannot be excluded under Kenyan law.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Pathrel Limited, its directors, employees, contractors, and partners from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising from:

• Your violation of these Terms
• Your use of the Platform in a manner not authorised by these Terms
• User-Generated Content you submit that infringes the rights of any third party
• Your violation of any applicable law, regulation, or third-party agreement

14. Term and Termination

• These Terms remain in effect for as long as you use the Platform, whether as a reader or as a signed-in user.
• You may delete your account at any time through your account settings. Upon deletion, your personal data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, and your user-generated content may be retained or removed at our discretion.
• Pathrel may suspend or terminate your access immediately if you violate these Terms, with notice provided where practicable. Serious violations, including fraud, abuse, or unlawful activity, may result in immediate termination without notice.
• Sections 7 (AI Disclaimer), 8 (Intellectual Property), 11 (Disclaimer of Warranties), 12 (Limitation of Liability), 13 (Indemnification), and 16 (Governing Law) survive termination of these Terms.

15. Dispute Resolution

We encourage you to contact us first to resolve any dispute informally. Our dispute resolution process proceeds as follows:

• Informal resolution: Contact us at [email protected] with a description of the dispute, and we will attempt to resolve the matter within thirty days.
• Mediation: If informal resolution fails, either party may request mediation through a mutually agreed mediator based in Nairobi, with the costs shared equally.
• Arbitration: Any dispute not resolved through mediation shall be referred to arbitration under the Arbitration Act, Cap 49 of the Laws of Kenya, conducted in Nairobi in English, with a single arbitrator agreed by both parties or appointed by the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration.

16. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Kenya, including but not limited to:

• The Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019
• The Consumer Protection Act, 2012
• The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018
• The Kenya Copyright Act, Cap 130
• The Arbitration Act, Cap 49

Any legal proceedings shall be brought before the High Court of Kenya in Nairobi, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of these courts, except where arbitration is required under Section 15.

17. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in the platform, the law, or our practices. For material changes:

• We will provide at least fourteen days' notice via email and an in-platform notification before the changes take effect
• The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision
• Continued use of the Platform after the changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms
• Previous versions of these Terms are available upon request to [email protected]

18. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us:

• Legal inquiries: [email protected]
• Privacy inquiries: [email protected]
• General support: [email protected]
• Postal address: Pathrel Limited, Nairobi, Kenya