Amondi Oware
I love night shifts because of the dead silence. No wonder it is called the graveyard shift. As silent as a graveyard. Then one Monday, as we enjoyed our silence, one of us started sobbing profusely. Our keyboard clicks paused. All heads turned to the direction of the sob which was growing louder.
“What is wrong Wandera?” her neighbor asked. She mumbled something amidst the sobbing. She almost chocked. At this point she is almost falling off her seat. “What could it be?” my immediate neighbor asked. A break-up text perhaps? these Nairobi men can be heartless. As one of the ladies ran to get her a glass of water, I approached to inquire more. “She has lost her dad,” Sophie, her immediate neighbor told me.
Kate, who was standing in for the supervisor, suggested that we call a cab to take her home. She could not work in her condition. Wandera passed me her phone to figure out her location from her WhatsApp chat with her husband. The first thing I see, is a WhatsApp group already created for her dad’s send-off. What is life really? His body is probably still lying lukewarm on his death bed and there’s already a WhatsApp group?!
/Courtney/
I have been around death a lot since I lost my mother at only eight years old. What happened to Wandera is not new. The culture in Kenya is you lose a loved one and the next thing is organized meetings to raise funds for burial. This is why I found the conversation around Funeral Insurance also known as last expense benefit intriguing.
In an episode of the Truth Be Told Podcast where they hosted Tom Gichuhi, the CEO of Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI), they discussed the future of insurance in Kenya and Africa.
According to Mr. Gichuhi, the penetration of insurance worldwide is at 7% and in Kenya 2.3% putting us among the top 4 countries in Africa. South Africa has the highest insurance penetration at 11.54% this is according to Deloitte’s 2024/25 Africa Insurance Outlook.
This high percentage is as a result of the large sale of the last expense benefit. Tom emphasized on the fact that South Africans value funerals very much because their culture demands giving their loved ones the best send off. That is why it does not take much to convince people in South Africa to invest in the funeral Insurance. They consider giving the deceased a proper send-off as a family responsibility.
Mama Bima Kenya, the podcast co-host also shared her encounter with her Ghanian counterpart in the Insurance field, where the insurance agent claimed to bag 96 policies a month with most of them being the funeral expense policy.
People in Ghana are very attached to their ancestors hence they believe in giving the deceased a well organized and funded funeral. The three agreed on the fact that culture plays a huge role in the adoption of this insurance.
Professional Mourners in Western Kenya 🎥
The harambee culture in Kenya could be one of the reasons why the funeral Insurance is not yet well received. Even with a rate as low as 3750 KES (27.949 USD) annually, many Kenyans still won’t invest in it. Many still prefer to ask for funds from family and friends, to a point where it is expected.
The other factors leading to the low insurance penetration in Kenya and Africa is lack of sufficient knowledge on insurance and the stigma around insurers that they cannot be trusted.
The podcasters acknowledged though that the younger generation, especially in Kenya are becoming more open to insurance and are letting go of the notion that it is expensive and is for the rich. The future of insurance therefore seems bright because the current generation are knowledge thirsty and are having more bold financial conversations.
To apply for funeral Insurance in Kenya and in Africa, one needs to:
- Choose a provider and product – Several reputable insurers in Africa offer funeral cover with accommodating feature up to the extended family members.
- Understand Eligibility and Requirements – Key common requirements include age limit(18-65yrs), covered members and entry rules.
- Understand the Application Process – Most insurers offer multiple application channels E.g. contact branch/call center, WhatsApp quote or online forms.
- Pay attention to the process essentials – When someone passes away generally required documents include: burial permit, death certificate or notice, ID copies of the deceased and claimant, relationship proof and policing report.
Mr. Tom Gichuhi argued that the only way Kenya can match South Africa and Ghana is if we review our payout method. The other countries accept payout inform of bulls and gifts while Kenya only accepts cash.
This means that there is a future for insurance in Africa, especially the funeral Insurance but it will require collaboration among African countries in educating their citizens and reviewing many of the standing policies around insurance. What do you think about the last expense benefit? Would you invest in it?
