Kenya has set strict requirements for local insurers seeking to provide mandatory medical cover to foreigners entering the country, establishing high financial and operational thresholds for firms vying for the government-backed scheme.
Under the new policy framework guiding the rollout of mandatory inbound travel health insurance, eligible insurers must post a minimum gross written premium of Sh2 billion (USD 14 million) annually. They must also demonstrate payment of claims worth Sh50 million (USD 350,000) over the past two years and provide evidence of at least five reputable clients, each with annual premiums of Sh100 million (USD 700,000) in the previous financial year.
The Ministry of Health framework further requires insurers to show that they have an extensive network of medical providers across all 47 counties to adequately serve visiting policyholders.
“The local insurance company shall be required to have a gross written premium of over Sh2 billion in Kenya and demonstrate evidence of having an extensive panel of medical providers in all 47 counties,” the ministry states in the Administrative Framework for Implementation of the Mandatory Inbound Travel Health Insurance Programme.
The new rules apply to visitors staying in Kenya for less than a year, who are now required to hold active medical cover in line with the Social Health Insurance Act of 2023. With this move, Kenya joins a growing number of countries, particularly in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, that compel visitors to carry medical or travel insurance, a trend that accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Kenya’s model is more prescriptive than most developed economies. While countries in the Schengen Area require visa applicants to hold travel insurance with minimum coverage of around USD 32,000 for medical emergencies and repatriation, travelers can generally choose any provider that meets the criteria. In contrast, the U.S., Canada, and the UK do not generally mandate travel medical insurance for tourists, although it is strongly recommended, and certain visa categories (like the J-1 in the U.S. or long-stay visas in Canada) may require coverage.
Unlike these countries, Kenya has opted for a designated provider model, meaning the government will select the insurance product and provider through a competitive tender. This approach requires local insurers to meet strict financial thresholds and demonstrates operational capability, including nationwide coverage, before they can participate.
Data from the Insurance Regulatory Authority show that most general insurers met the Sh2 billion gross written premium threshold in the year ended December 2024.
Implementation of the mandatory cover has been delayed for more than a year due to controversy over how insurers are selected. In December 2024, the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services floated a restricted, multi-billion-shilling tender to provide the compulsory cover, which was canceled in January 2025 after the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority flagged it for violating procurement rules.
Insurers, through their lobby group the Association of Kenyan Insurers (AKI), had protested the restricted tender, faulting the government for failing to disclose the firms it had shortlisted. Some of the country’s top medical insurers later revealed plans to form a consortium as they awaited revised tender rules.
The stakes are high. International visitor arrivals to Kenya rose by 14.6 percent to 2.39 million in 2024 from 2.09 million the previous year and grew by a further 5.3 percent in the nine months to September 2025, reaching 1.88 million.The mandatory medical cover for visitors is part of Kenya’s broader push toward universal healthcare, which requires all citizens aged 18 and above to register under the national health insurance framework.
