Photo: Bahnfrend, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0How to check if your insurance is valid in Kenya
Motor, SHA, medical and life cover
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The four checks that apply to every policy
Whatever the cover, a policy is only worth something if each of these holds. The first three come straight from the Insurance Act:
| Check | What the law says | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| The insurer is licensed | Only a person registered under the Act may carry on insurance business in Kenya (s.19) | Find the company in IRA's list of licensed insurers, reproduced on our insurance companies page |
| The seller is licensed | Brokers, agents, medical insurance providers and claims settling agents must be registered (s.150) | Search the person or firm in IRA's licensed entities registry |
| The insurer has your premium | No insurer assumes a risk until it has received the premium, and an intermediary may not receive premiums on the insurer's behalf (s.156) | Pay to the insurer's own account or paybill, keep the receipt, and ask the insurer to confirm payment |
| The dates cover today | The cover runs only between the start and end dates on the policy schedule or certificate | Read the schedule, not the quote or the proposal form |
Motor insurance: check the certificate on *352# or Bima Yangu
Motor certificates are issued digitally, so their status can be read by anyone. The Association of Kenya Insurers says its Bima Yangu app checks a motor certificate by scanning its QR code, and that *352# offers the same service on any phone (AKI). The answer is one of four statuses:
| Status | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Genuine | The certificate is valid — check that the vehicle and the dates match |
| Upcoming | The cover has not started yet |
| Expired | The cover has ended: renew before you drive |
| Invalid | Not valid cover: treat the vehicle as uninsured and contact the insurer at once |
Our DMVIC check guide covers the web check, the certificate forms, fake certificates and the penalties for driving uninsured.
SHA: check your coverage with your ID number
The Social Health Authority runs a public Check your coverage page at eligibility.sha.go.ke. It asks for an identification type — national ID, alien ID, refugee ID, passport, birth certificate or birth notification number, among others — and the matching number. What an "inactive" result means and how to fix it is in our article on how to check your SHA status.
- Open eligibility.sha.go.ke.
- Choose the identification type and enter the number of the person you are checking (yourself or a dependant).
- Read the coverage status before you go to hospital, especially for an admission.
- If the result is not what you expect, check your contributions and dependants on your SHA member account — see our SHA registration guide.
Private medical and life policies: ask the insurer, in writing
There is no public register of private medical or life policies. The insurer is the only one who can confirm that your policy is in force, so ask it directly — by e-mail or through its own customer portal — for:
- The policy number and status (in force, lapsed, paid-up or cancelled).
- The cover dates and, for medical cover, the members and the benefit limits still available.
- The premiums received and any amount overdue.
- For life policies used for insurance relief, the tax-relief certificate. AKI says Bima Yangu verifies life insurance tax-relief certificates by QR code (AKI).
Missed premiums on a life policy do not always end it. Under s.90 of the Insurance Act, an ordinary life policy on which at least three years' premiums have been paid cannot be forfeited for non-payment alone unless the insurer serves a notice stating the amount due and that the policy will be forfeited 28 days after the notice if it is not paid.
Traps that leave people without cover
- Paying the seller instead of the insurer. The Act bars intermediaries from receiving premiums on the insurer's behalf (s.156). If you paid an agent's personal number, ask the insurer whether the money reached it.
- Buying from a company that is not on IRA's list. Only registered insurers may sell insurance in Kenya (s.19); a policy from anyone else gives you nothing to claim against.
- Trusting a photo or a PDF. For motor cover, the status on *352# or Bima Yangu counts, not the paper; for other cover, the insurer's written confirmation counts.
- Forgetting the renewal date. Cover ends on the end date, whether or not a reminder arrived.
If an insurer refuses to confirm your cover or to pay a valid claim, see how to complain about an insurer in Kenya. To replace a cover that has lapsed, ask licensed insurers for quotes and check the new policy the day it is issued.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I check if my car insurance is valid in Kenya?
Dial *352# or scan the certificate's QR code in the Association of Kenya Insurers' Bima Yangu app. The status reads Genuine, Upcoming, Expired or Invalid; only Genuine, with the right vehicle and dates, means valid cover.
How do I check if my SHA cover is active?
Go to eligibility.sha.go.ke, choose your identification type (for example national ID or birth certificate number), enter the number and read the coverage status.
How do I know if an insurance company is genuine in Kenya?
Check that it appears in the Insurance Regulatory Authority's list of licensed insurers: only companies registered under the Insurance Act (s.19) may carry on insurance business in Kenya.
How do I check if an insurance agent is licensed?
Search the agent or broker in IRA's licensed entities registry, which lists licensed agents, brokers, bancassurance intermediaries and medical insurance providers. Unregistered persons may not act as intermediaries (Insurance Act s.150).
Is my policy valid if I paid the agent but the insurer did not receive the money?
The Insurance Act (s.156) says no insurer assumes a risk until it has received the premium, and intermediaries may not receive premiums on the insurer's behalf. Ask the insurer to confirm in writing that your premium was received.
Sources
- Insurance Act, Cap. 487 (Rev. 2022) — s.19 (only registered insurers), s.90 (non-forfeiture of life policies), s.150 (only registered intermediaries) and s.156 (advance payment of premiums)
- IRA Kenya — Licensed Entities registry: agents, brokers, bancassurance intermediaries, medical insurance providers and others (Web Archive copy of 18 August 2026)
- Association of Kenya Insurers — Bima Yangu self-service app and *352#: motor certificate status and life insurance tax-relief certificate checks
- Social Health Authority — Check your coverage (eligibility.sha.go.ke, seen October 2026)
- MUA Kenya — About us: overview, history from Phoenix of East Africa Assurance to MUA, and product menu (insurer's own page, seen October 2026)