5 Tips for Buying Affordable Travel Insurance in Kenya

January 12, 2023 TRAVEL INSURANCE IN KENYA

Are you planning for a business trip, studying abroad, or going for your annual holiday? You could also have realized that your work-approved business trip requires you to have travel insurance as part of your visa requirements. Travel insurance is an essential checklist item in your traveling arrangement, especially if you are going out of Kenya where your other insurance might not serve you well and comes with some good benefits.

What is travel insurance in Kenya?

What is travel insurance and what makes it so important? Travel insurance helps with taking care of the uncertainties and risks when traveling within your country or abroad. Unforeseen events that might happen in your travel include:

1. Lost and/or lost luggage
2. Medical emergencies
3. Accidents
4. Trip cancellations and delays
5. Lost travel documents

Good reasons to consider travel insurance in Kenya

Some of the important reasons to have travel insurance include:

1. Medical emergencies: This is the biggest reason why travel insurance is provided. This will cater to cost related to medical emergencies such as accidental injuries, and acute illnesses while traveling. It also can be extended to medical emergency evaluation as well.
2. Travel insurance Kenya covid-19 is extended to you in most travel insurance covers available.
3. Trip cancellation and curtailment: There are several reasons why trips may be canceled. Travel insurance companies in Kenya will consider any of the below. The list can be expanded however the most common include:
   • Serious illness, serious bodily accident, or death to the insured or a member of their family
   • Notification of the insured person to appear in court especially if the insured was not aware of it before organizing the trip
   • Serious property damage to either their residence or place of business caused by fire, explosions, robbery, or acts of nature such as floods
   • professional, non-disciplinary dismissal of the insured.
4. Lost luggage: A comprehensive travel insurance in Kenya will ensure that you have an allocation in your policy regarding lost, stolen, or damaged baggage and personal belongings. This is usually extended to cover lost passports and other identification documents and other important travel documents.
5. Personal assistance service: These services include:
   • 24 hours medical assistance which includes getting help from the nearest medical facility and the best course of action.
   • Legal assistance: if the insured is arrested as a result of non-criminal action
   • Pre-departure services: provide assistance in regard to Visa requirements, and immunization requirements among others.
6. Losses and delays: Travel insurance in Kenya will cover also cover things such as delayed departure as well as missed travel connections as long as it meets the meet criteria as defined in your travel insurance.
7. Personal liability which includes an advance of bail bond, the legal defense set up while abroad, and personal civil liability

Best travel insurance in Kenya

When it comes to the best travel insurance and travel insurance for a Schengen visa Kenya approved companies to include in alphabetical order:

1. AAR Insurance
2. AIG Kenya
3. APA Insurance
4. Britam
5. CIC
6. Corporate Insurance
7. Fidelity Shield Insurance
8. First Assurance
9. GA Insurance
10. Geminia Insurance
11. Heritage Insurance
12. ICEA Lion
13. Jubilee Allianz Insurance
14. Kenindia Assurance
15. Madison Insurance
16. Mayfair Insurance
17. MUA Insurance
18. Occidental Insurance
19. Pacis Insurance
20. Pioneer Insurance
21. Sanlam
22. Takaful Insurance of Africa
23. Tausi Assurance
24. UAP Insurance is now Old Mutual Insurance

Need Travel Insurance? Request a free quote and one of our representatives will call you and compare insurance companies.

Types of travel insurance plans in Kenya

Travel insurance in Kenya offers various plans based on the company and your needs. What are the three types of travel insurance?

Comprehensive travel insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance in Kenya is the most preferred type of travel insurance by most travelers as it takes care of all major concerns a first-time traveler or a frequent traveler might want to be covered. It covers:

1. Medical expenses and emergency assistance including medical evacuation and repatriation of mortal remains and of a family member
2. Personal assistance services including hijacking in public transportation and missed travel trave
3. Baggage including loss of passport and IDs.
4. Trip cancellation and trip curtailment.
5. Losses and delays including delayed departure
6. Personal accident cover including fatal accidents and total disability as a result of transport
7. Personal liability includes an advance of bail bond, personal civil liability, and legal defense while on travel. Important to note that you should be not involved in criminal activity.
8. Other medical complimentary services such as daily hospital cash.

This is the most preferred by most travelers and most suitable for worldwide travel travelers.

Medical emergency travel insurance

Travel insurance in Kenya offers the above type of insurance to people who are more concerned about the medical expenses that they may incur when the unexpected happens. Most medical expense travel insurance cover:

1. Medical expenses and hospitalization
2. Emergency dental care
3. Repatriation of mortal remains

The below extra areas of cover can be provided as the more enhanced travel insurance in Kenya plans and worldwide travel insurance. Your travel insurance in Kenya policy will specify if they cover any of the below:

1. Repatriation of a family member traveling with this insured person
2. Compulsory quarantine due to covid-19 diagnosis
3. Emergency return home following the death of a close family member
4. traveling of one immediate member.

Evacuation travel insurance in Kenya

Though this will be offered in most cases under your basic travel insurance, however, a more enhanced version is available through the Maisha Air Ambulance cover provided by AMREF Flying Doctors.

From as little as Ksh. 2,500 annually you can get:

1. Unlimited air evacuation a year for medical emergencies in Kenya
2. Unlimited ground ambulance transfers in Kenya
3. 24-hour hotline for medical advice
4. Direct access to AMREF Flying Doctors and their medic

These covers by Maisha are available for subscriptions annually or short term by individuals, groups, visitors to Kenya, or corporates.

Short-term travel insurance in Kenya

This is a type of insurance cover that is most common in the Kenya travel insurance market and it is ideal for people who are not frequent travelers.

This type of cover is based on the number of days one is traveling for. The premiums are then charged according to the number of days. E.g if one is traveling for less than 7 days they will pay cheaply compared to a person traveling for more than 7 days.

Different insurance companies have different date bands and will define how long one can get continuous coverage without the need to exit the country they had traveled to. Most travel insurance in Kenya have either 92 days or 180 days of continuous coverage for short-term travel insurance

Multi-trip/Annual travel insurance in Kenya

This is usually ideal for frequent travelers as it will manage the cost when it comes to travel insurance. Depending on the type of insurance company you will settle for, you need to understand the following:

1. If you will need to declare every time you travel while with the cover
2. How many days are allowed for a continuous cover
3. If the cover number of days you travel in a year is higher than the short-term covers.

Student’s travel insurance in Kenya

This type of coverage is available to students only and it is given either on a short-term basis or an annual term basis by travel insurance companies in Kenya. Different insurance companies will dictate the terms that qualify one to take this coverage such as:

1. Age of the person
2. School admission letter to be onboarded on the cover

5 tips for buying affordable travel insurance in Kenya

When it comes to getting affordable travel insurance consider:

1. compare prices of different insurance companies: Comparison insurance websites like ours will help you compare insurance companies’ travel insurance plans.
2. Talk to your medical insurance provider: They can provide with you a travel letter for medical emergency expenses only. Hence allowing you to get cheaper travel insurance for all the other travel insurance benefits.
3. Consider getting bundled products: Some bank accounts, and credit card providers, as well as travel agents’ packages, offer travel insurance as part of their benefits. Engage your provider to see if it makes sense
4. Look for discounts: Travelling as a group or family, consider getting family packages or group packages to lower the cost of travel insurance
5. Buy only what you need: If you aren’t a frequent traveler consider getting short-term travel insurance in Kenya cover instead of a multi-trip and vice versa.

Who needs travel insurance in Kenya?

All the below categories of people need travel insurance, especially if traveling to a new country:

1. Individuals and families
2. Students
3. corporates

Which company provides the best travel insurance?

There is no one shoe fit all but it is important to consider a company that:
Has a track record of paying travel insurance claims
Recognized in the country you traveling to
Cost in terms of premiums
Compare different companies jubilee travel insurance Kenya plans, Jubilee Allianz travel insurance, AIG travel insurance,

How Much Does Kenya Travel Insurance Cost?

The cost of travel insurance in Kenya is determined by:

1. Number of days you will be traveling
2. How many people are traveling if in a group? The larger the group the larger the discount
3. If corporate travel insurance
4. Country of destination
5. Type of travel insurance selected
6. Nature of travel (Holidays, business, student)

What is not covered by travel insurance in Kenya?

1. Events following war or terrorism unless otherwise stated.
2. Intoxication or poisoning following consumption of foodstuff.
3. Injuries and accidents following engagement in any criminal activities.
4. Natural disasters
5. Events following armed forces activities
6. Meteorite strikes.
7. Injury or accidents following radioactive nuclear energy.
8. Accidents under the effects of drugs, narcotics, or toxins.
9. Accidents following engaging in competitive sporting activities or high-risk activities unless provided for in the cover.