Kenya has introduced strict conditions for insurance companies aiming to offer mandatory medical cover for foreign visitors, requiring firms to demonstrate strong financial performance and wide service networks.
Among the key requirements is that insurers must generate at least Sh2 billion in annual premiums, ensuring only well-established companies can compete for the government’s tender.
The policy, outlined in the Administrative Framework for Implementation of the Mandatory Inbound Travel Health Insurance Program, also calls for evidence of claims settlements totaling Sh50 million over the past two years.
Insurers are expected to list at least five major clients, each with annual premiums of Sh100 million in the last financial year. The framework applies to visitors staying in Kenya for less than a year, who must have active medical insurance as mandated by the Social Health Insurance Act of 2023.
“The local insurance company shall be required to have a gross written premium of over Sh2 billion in Kenya, demonstrate evidence of having an extensive panel of medical providers in all 47 counties in Kenya to serve the insured,” the Ministry of Health states in the document.
According to the Insurance Regulatory Authority, most general insurance firms in the country exceeded the Sh2 billion mark in gross written premiums for the year ending December 2024.
However, some short-term insurers, including Corporate Insurance, Kenya Orient, Pioneer, Takaful Insurance of Africa, and Monarch Insurance, did not meet the threshold.
The government’s plan to select insurers and reinsurers for this cover has faced hurdles. In December 2024, the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services issued a restricted tender for the cover, but it was canceled the following month after the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority raised concerns that the process violated procurement rules.
Industry players, led by the Association of Kenyan Insurers, opposed the restricted tender, citing lack of transparency on the selected firms. Meanwhile, top medical insurers announced plans to form a consortium to strengthen their chances once the government revised the tender rules.
The initiative is seen as financially attractive due to the rising number of foreign visitors. International arrivals grew 14.6 percent to 2.39 million in 2024 from 2.089 million in 2023, and rose a further 5.3 percent to 1.88 million in the nine months to September 2025, compared to 1.78 million over the same period the previous year.
Kenya will implement a designated approach for the mandatory cover, meaning the government will choose both the insurance provider and product through a tender. The rules aim to ensure that only capable and financially sound insurers can serve foreign visitors, bringing the country in line with global practices while protecting travellers and the local insurance market.
