Industry Stakeholders Champion Improved Claims Experience

Kenya’s insurance industry surpassed Sh1 trillion in assets and premiums rise to Sh352.29 billion by Q3 2025, attention is now shifting to claims management as the next critical lever for building trust and expanding uptake.

This was the focus of the inaugural Claims Conference hosted by Minet Kenya in Naivasha, which brought together insurers, regulators and other stakeholders under the theme: “Claims: Where Insurance Trust is Won or Lost – From Promise to Performance.”

Despite steady expansion driven by innovation and growing recognition of insurance as a financial protection tool, penetration remains just above 2% of GDP—well below the global average of 7%. Industry players say this gap underscores the need to improve customer experience, particularly at the point of claim.

“Knowledge gaps and operational silos remain the biggest sources of friction,” said Minet Kenya CEO Sammy Muthui, noting that limited understanding of policy terms and fragmented coordination among ecosystem players often lead to delayed or disputed claims.

Stakeholders emphasized that transparent, well-communicated claims processes are essential to strengthening public confidence and demonstrating the value of insurance.

The conference also highlighted growing investment in digital tools, automation and artificial intelligence to enhance risk assessment, fraud detection and claims efficiency. While distribution has rapidly evolved through mobile and digital platforms, participants stressed the need for similar transformation in claims handling to deliver a seamless end-to-end customer journey.

Regulators are also stepping up oversight. Insurance Regulatory Authority is advancing a Treating Customers Fairly framework aimed at improving market conduct and ensuring better outcomes for policyholders.

“We are becoming more proactive in how we oversee insurer-customer relationships to ensure fairness throughout the insurance lifecycle,” said IRA Market Conduct Director Anne Chelagat.

With collaboration, regulatory reforms and technology now converging, industry stakeholders say improving claims experience could be the key to unlocking the next phase of growth in Kenya’s insurance sector.