Personal accident cover in Kenya: what it pays, what it costs and how to claim

What personal accident cover is

A personal accident policy pays out when you suffer a bodily injury caused by an accident — CIC's brochure says "violent, accidental, external and visible means". It does not cover sickness. Britam's policy document defines an accident as "a single physical event that occurs by chance and is caused by sudden, external and identifiable means".

In the Insurance Act, section 2 defines life assurance as paying money on death "not being death by accident or specified sickness only". A cover that pays only on accidental death or injury is therefore general insurance business, sold by general insurers for a period (usually renewed), with no savings or surrender value.

• Not the same as WIBA: section 7 of the Work Injury Benefits Act obliges every employer to insure its employees against work injuries. A personal accident policy is cover you choose yourself, at work or not — see our WIBA guide.
• Not the same as medical cover: a medical policy pays hospital bills for illness and accidents; a personal accident policy pays lump sums for death and disability, with a capped refund of accident medical bills.

What a personal accident policy pays

CIC General Insurance's Personal Accident brochure lists the benefits it offers. What follows is CIC's own statement, not a rating:

• Death — a lump sum to your beneficiaries.
• Permanent and total disability — a lump sum.
• Temporary total disability — a weekly loss of income, for people in gainful employment.
• Hospital cash — for the self-employed.
• Medical expenses, refunded up to a set limit.
• Funeral expenses, trauma counselling, physiotherapy and artificial appliances.

CIC says its cover applies 24 hours a day, worldwide, including an extension for riots and strikes, for people aged 18 to 65 who are permanent Kenyan residents; children below 18 are covered under a parent's or guardian's policy.

Britam's Airtel Money personal accident policy document is narrower: it pays accidental death to the next of kin and permanent total disability — when you can never again work in any occupation you are qualified for — and covers accidents within Kenya only. See the Britam profile and the CIC profile for the regulator's figures on each company.

What personal accident cover costs: the premiums insurers publish

There is no official price: each insurer sets its own, based on the benefits, your age and your occupation. These are the premiums two insurers publish in their own documents, seen in October 2026.

CIC Personal Accident — yearly premium per person, in Kenya shillings, taxes included; the brochure says the rates apply to clerical and administrative (non-manual) occupations:

CIC adds counselling and physiotherapy (KES 20,000 each) for KES 201 a year per person each, and sells child plans from KES 367 to KES 1,180 a year per child. For children, its death benefit is limited to KES 100,000, and children below 5 are covered for road risks only.

Britam Airtel Money personal accident — for KES 100,000 of accidental death and KES 100,000 of permanent disability cover, the policy document lists KES 35 a month or KES 350 a year for the individual option, and KES 150 a month or KES 1,470 a year for the family option. Entry age is 18 to 65.

Exclusions, waiting periods and other traps

Britam's policy document lists what it does not pay for. The main exclusions:

• Illness, pre-existing physical defects, and any illness made worse by an accident.
• Dangerous sports — racing (other than on foot), rugby, football, polo, mountaineering, winter sports, skiing, parachuting — unless the insurer agrees by endorsement.
• Intoxication, intentional self-injury, suicide, and unlawful acts.
• War, terrorism, riots, strikes and political unrest, earthquakes, and diseases classified as a pandemic.
• Pregnancy and childbirth, and flying other than as a passenger on a licensed airline or charter.

• Waiting periods: Britam's cover starts 24 hours after the start date for new policies, and the disability benefit carries a waiting period and a deferred period of three months each.
• Late renewal: Britam gives a grace period of 24 hours after expiry; renewed later, the policy is treated as new.
• Cancellation: under Britam's document you can cancel with seven days' notice but get no refund; Britam can cancel with 30 days' notice and a pro-rata refund.
• Disclosure: CIC's proposal form asks about past accidents, physical defects and chronic illnesses. Britam's document says the company is not liable if a material fact is left out of the proposal — answer every question fully.

How to claim, and how fast the insurer must pay

1. Get medical treatment and follow the doctor's advice — Britam's policy makes this a condition.
2. Tell the insurer in writing as soon as possible: Britam's policy requires written notice within 21 days of the injury. For a death, give notice before the burial.
3. Fill in the insurer's claim form and attach the documents CIC lists: a police abstract for a road accident or assault, the physician's examination reports, original medical receipts, and for a death the death certificate and burial permit.
4. For permanent disability, Britam requires a certificate from a doctor it appoints, and the claim must reach it within 30 days of that assessment.
5. Keep a copy of everything you send and the date you sent it.

Section 203 of the Insurance Act requires an insurer, once it has all the relevant documents, to admit or deny liability and pay within 90 days of the date the claim was reported. The Commissioner can extend this by up to 30 days; after that a penalty of five per cent of the unpaid amount is due. The rule does not apply to micro-insurance claims. CIC's brochure says its funeral expenses are paid within 48 hours.

If a claim is refused or delayed, complain to the insurer in writing, then to the regulator — the steps are in our guide to complaining about an insurer.

Before you buy personal accident cover

1. Check what you already have: WIBA cover through your employer, a medical policy, or an accident benefit bundled with a motor or credit policy.
2. Choose the benefits you need: a lump sum for death and disability, a weekly income if you are employed, hospital cash if you are self-employed, and a medical expenses limit.
3. Give your real occupation and ask for the premium for it.
4. Read the policy document, not just the brochure: exclusions, territorial limits, waiting periods and the claim deadline.
5. Name a beneficiary and tell your family where the policy is.

To compare personal accident and medical covers from several licensed insurers, ask for quotes.

Sources

1. CIC General Insurance — CIC Personal Accident brochure and proposal form, 2022 edition (insurer's own document, seen October 2026)
2. Britam General Insurance Company (K) — Airtel Money Pata Bima Mkononi personal accident policy document (insurer's own document, seen October 2026)
3. Insurance Act, Cap. 487 (Rev. 2022) — s.2 (definition of insurance business) and s.203 (settlement of claims)
4. Work Injury Benefits Act, 2007 (revised 2012), s.7 (employer to be insured) — ILO NATLEX