Families of fallen and injured police officers went without insurance support for the entire 2025, after the National Police Service failed to remit billions in premiums, leaving many relatives in financial difficulty.
A report presented to the National Assembly by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that the NPS did not forward Sh2 billion in premiums for a group life insurance cover under Britam.
As a result, no claims were processed or paid throughout the year, according to Bernice Lemedeket, the Secretary for Administration and accounting officer at the service.
Lemedeket explained that the National Treasury allocated only Sh2,295,594,440 to the NPS for the financial year ending June 2023, far below the required Sh4,286,844,276 to cover premiums. The shortfall of Sh1,991,249,836 was later provided through a supplementary budget, causing delays in transferring the payments to Britam.
“In the current financial year 2025/2026, for instance, the NPS has an approved budget of Sh1 billion against a request of Sh7.46 billion, thus a shortfall of Sh6.46 billion,” said Lemedeket. “In this regard, the insurer has only paid claims up to 31 December 2024.”
This meant that for the whole of 2025, relatives of deceased officers and prison wardens did not receive any compensation. PAC’s report notes that claims totaling Sh220,138,900 were still pending as of November 2023, while 312 officers had not been compensated for work-related injuries.
According to the Auditor-General, Nancy Gathungu, Britam was awarded a Sh5,082,499,671 contract to cover 141,961 employees of the NPS and Kenya Prisons Service from January 1 to December 31, 2023. Of these, 109,557 were police officers, while 32,404 were prison staff.
“Clause 2.3.1 of the contract provides that upon death of a member, the member’s declared next of kin shall be paid a lump sum of five years (5) annual basic salary,” said Gathungu, highlighting that Sh220.14 million remained unpaid.
“This is contrary to the contract terms, which state that claims shall be paid within five (5) days after notification and provision of all documentation.”
The comprehensive scheme, which replaced older, less effective insurance plans, was introduced in 2021 and initially managed by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund before transitioning to private insurers.
It includes coverage under the Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA) for work-related injuries, occupational diseases, death, or permanent disability, and a Group Personal Accident (GPA) policy that provides 24-hour protection both on and off duty.
Government data shows that many officers lose their lives each year while on duty, often from terrorist attacks, violent protests, robberies, or armed banditry.
About 20,000 officers also suffer from psychological disorders such as depression. Between 2016 and 2020, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority recorded 65 murders and 57 suicides among officers, averaging 13 murders and 11 suicides per year.
The NPS cited underfunding as the main reason for delayed claims but also noted other contributing factors, including late submission of required documents, family disputes, disputed compensation, and failure of officers to follow up after recovery.
Before Britam assumed the contract, 11 insurance firms jointly provided coverage, with officers often facing frustration when seeking compensation.
The PAC report emphasizes the urgent need for timely disbursement of premiums to ensure officers and their families are not left financially exposed while serving in high-risk conditions.
