IRA Kenya: what the Insurance Regulatory Authority does, its portal and how to check a licence

IRA in the law

Section 3 of the Insurance Act establishes the Insurance Regulatory Authority as a body corporate. Section 3A(1) gives it these objects and functions, among others:

• ensure the effective administration, supervision, regulation and control of insurance and reinsurance business in Kenya;
• formulate and enforce standards for the conduct of insurance and reinsurance business;
• license all persons involved in or connected with insurance business, including insurance and reinsurance companies, intermediaries, loss adjusters and assessors, risk surveyors and valuers;
• issue supervisory guidelines and prudential standards;
• educate the public regularly on the right to choose their own underwriter or broker from the list of those IRA licenses;
• regulate bancassurance offered by banks in the same manner as ordinary insurance business.

Section 3A(2) sets the objects of supervision: a fair, safe and stable insurance sector, the protection of policyholders and beneficiaries, and the development of the sector. IRA is run by a Board, and its chief executive is the Commissioner of Insurance (s.3E).

Two rules matter most to a buyer. Only a person registered under the Act may carry on insurance business in Kenya (s.19). And every year the Commissioner must publish in the Gazette the names of registered persons and the type of business each may transact (s.184) — that notice is the list of licensed companies.

Who IRA licenses in 2026

IRA's notice dated 30 March 2026 (full notice) licenses 22 long-term (life) insurers, 35 general insurers and 5 micro-insurers — 59 companies, since three hold both a life and a general licence — plus 5 reinsurers and 181 insurance brokers. The same notice lists reinsurance brokers, medical insurance providers, bancassurance intermediaries, motor assessors, investigators, loss adjusters, surveyors, risk managers and claims settling agents.

Each company is licensed for numbered classes: 01 to 14 for general business (for example 07 motor private, 08 motor commercial, 11 workmen's compensation, 12 medical) and 31 to 37 for long-term business (31 life assurance, 34 group life…). A company may only sell the classes printed next to its name.

The alphabetical list, with the counts by type of entity, is on licensed insurance companies in Kenya; the biggest by premium are on top 10 insurance companies in Kenya.

IRA licensed agents: how to check one

Insurance agents are not printed in the yearly notice. Search them in IRA's registry of licensed entities: choose the year licensed (2021 to 2026) and the entity type — insurance agents, bancassurance intermediaries, brokers, medical insurance providers (MIPs), motor assessors, loss adjusters, investigators, surveyors, risk managers or claims settling agents.

IRA's agents licensing page lists what an agent needs: a national ID or passport; a qualification for the principal officer — the Certificate of Proficiency (COP) or Executive COP, a COP exemption from the College of Insurance, an approved insurance qualification or a Bachelor of Commerce (insurance option); and a business name or incorporation certificate for a corporate agent. The principal officer may represent only one insurance entity at a time, and a registered agent must be appointed by an insurer before selling on its behalf (Insurance Act s.151(1A)).

1. Ask the agent for their name, licence number and the insurer that appointed them.
2. Find them in the registry for the current year.
3. Pay the insurer — a paybill or bank account in the insurer's name — not a personal number.
4. For a motor certificate, check it on DMVIC the day it is issued: see how to check a motor certificate.

The IRA portal: what it is for

The IRA online portal is for people and companies who need a licence. You log in with an eCitizen single sign-on account, create a profile the first time, choose the service to apply or pay for, pay through the Pesaflow gateway, and follow the licence and payment status on your dashboard.

As a policyholder you do not need it. What you need instead:

IRA's contacts, from its portal and complaint page: Zep-Re Place, Longonot Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi (P.O. Box 43505-00100); 020 4996000, 0719 047000, toll-free 0800 724 499; commins@ira.go.ke, complaints@ira.go.ke; Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Insurers under statutory management: Trident, KUSCCO Mutual and Corporate

On 11 March 2026 IRA placed Trident Insurance Company, KUSCCO Mutual Assurance and Corporate Insurance Company under statutory management, after finding a continued deterioration of their finances and a failure to meet the mandatory solvency requirements (IRA statement). The Policyholders Compensation Fund (PCF) took control of their management. None of the three is on IRA's list of licensed insurers dated 30 March 2026.

For Trident, the Commissioner extended the statutory management, with PCF as manager, for two months from 10 September 2026 (PCF notice), and PCF extended its moratorium on payments to policyholders and other creditors for the same period (moratorium notice). Under section 67C(11) of the Act, a policyholder is not liable to pay a claim that the insurer does not pay because of the moratorium.

If you hold a policy with one of these companies, contact PCF (statutorymanager@pcf.go.ke, 0111 121 700 or 0794 582 700, according to its notice) and insure the risk again with a licensed company — a motor certificate must verify on DMVIC.

Sources

1. Insurance Act, Cap. 487 (Rev. 2022) — s.3 (establishment of IRA), s.3A (objects and functions), s.3E (Commissioner of Insurance), s.19 (only registered persons), s.20 (placing risks with unregistered insurers), s.67C (statutory management, moratorium), s.151 and s.153 (brokers' professional indemnity), s.179 (Policyholders Compensation Fund), s.184 (annual notice of registered persons) — Nairobi International Financial Centre Authority copy
2. IRA Kenya — Licensed Entities 2026, notice under section 184 of the Insurance Act dated 30 March 2026, with the key to classes of business (01–14 general, 31–37 long-term) (Web Archive copy of 15 May 2026)
3. IRA Kenya — Licensed Entities registry: search by year and entity type (agents, bancassurance intermediaries, brokers, MIPs, motor assessors, loss adjusters…) (Web Archive copy of 18 August 2026)
4. IRA Kenya — Agents Licensing: requirements for licensing insurance agents (Web Archive copy of 18 August 2026)
5. IRA Kenya — Online Portal: eCitizen log-in, licence application and payment, contacts (seen 31 October 2026)
6. IRA Kenya — Lodge a Complaint: online complaint form, contacts and opening hours (Web Archive copy of 18 August 2026)
7. IRA Kenya — Media statement: Insurance Regulatory Authority places 3 insurers on statutory management, 11 March 2026 (Web Archive copy of 19 March 2026)
8. Policyholders Compensation Fund — Extension of statutory management for Trident Insurance Company Limited, notice dated 9 September 2026 (seen 31 October 2026)
9. Policyholders Compensation Fund — Trident Insurance Company Limited (under statutory management): declaration of extension of the moratorium, 9 September 2026 (seen 31 October 2026)