How much is life insurance in Kenya?
Kenyan insurers publish only starting prices: Britam's term cover from KES 3,000 a month for KES 3 million over 5 years, ICEA LION from KES 2,000 a month, APA's micro cover KES 200 a month for KES 100,000 and funeral cover from about KES 139 a month. For KES 10 million of 20-year term cover, a healthy 30-year-old can plan on roughly KES 4,000 to 8,000 a month; whole life costs about 5 to 10 times more.
Prices Kenyan insurers publish
| Insurer and cover | Published price | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Britam Tegemeo (term) | From KES 3,000 a month | KES 3 million of death cover for 5 years |
| Britam Whole Life | From KES 3,000 a month | Lifelong cover, premiums over 10, 15 or 20 years |
| Britam Whole Life, man aged 28 (reported quote) | KES 5,520 a month for 15 years | About KES 7.1 million for life, growing 3% a year |
| ICEA LION Level Term | From KES 2,000 a month | Sum assured set by your premium and term |
| Jubilee Faida Maisha (investment-linked) | From KES 5,000 a month | KES 100,000 to 200 million of cover plus a fund |
| APA Upendo (micro cover) | KES 200 a month | KES 100,000 death cover; half the premium back if no claim |
| Madison Lala Salama (funeral) | KES 139 a month (KES 1,375 a year) | KES 100,000 funeral cash, per person to age 65 |
| Liberty Legacy (funeral) | From KES 200 a month (KES 400 family) | KES 100,000 funeral cover |
Life insurance prices Kenyan insurers publish (KES, October 2026)
- Published price
- From KES 3,000 a month
- What it buys
- KES 3 million of death cover for 5 years
- Published price
- From KES 3,000 a month
- What it buys
- Lifelong cover, premiums over 10, 15 or 20 years
- Published price
- KES 5,520 a month for 15 years
- What it buys
- About KES 7.1 million for life, growing 3% a year
- Published price
- From KES 2,000 a month
- What it buys
- Sum assured set by your premium and term
- Published price
- From KES 5,000 a month
- What it buys
- KES 100,000 to 200 million of cover plus a fund
- Published price
- KES 200 a month
- What it buys
- KES 100,000 death cover; half the premium back if no claim
- Published price
- KES 139 a month (KES 1,375 a year)
- What it buys
- KES 100,000 funeral cash, per person to age 65
- Published price
- From KES 200 a month (KES 400 family)
- What it buys
- KES 100,000 funeral cover
Planning estimates for bigger cover
No Kenyan insurer publishes a rate table for term or whole life. These anonymised estimates from Kenyan financial guidance help you budget before you get a quote.
| Example | Estimate |
|---|---|
| KES 10 million term cover for 20 years, healthy 30-year-old | KES 4,000 – 8,000 a month |
| Whole life compared with term for the same cover | About 5 – 10 times the term premium |
| Critical illness rider | KES 12,000 – 36,000 a year |
| Cover issued without a medical exam | About 25% more (KES 2,500 against KES 2,000 a month in one example) |
Planning estimates from Kenyan financial guidance (not quotes)
- Estimate
- KES 4,000 – 8,000 a month
- Estimate
- About 5 – 10 times the term premium
- Estimate
- KES 12,000 – 36,000 a year
- Estimate
- About 25% more (KES 2,500 against KES 2,000 a month in one example)
Worked example: KES 10 million for a 30-year-old
Worked example
- Term cover: KES 10 million for 20 years
- KES 4,000 – 8,000 a month
- A year of premiums
- KES 48,000 – 96,000
- Insurance relief at 15%
- KES 7,200 – 14,400 back a year
- What it costs you after relief
- About KES 3,400 – 6,800 a month
Planning estimate for a healthy non-smoker, not a quote. Relief is capped at KES 60,000 a year across all your life, education and health policies.
What sets your premium
- Age: every year older at entry costs more
- Sum assured: the more cover, the higher the premium
- Term: longer cover costs more each month
- Health and medical results, and your family history
- Smoking, alcohol and drug use
- Job and hobbies: dangerous work, private flying or motor racing
- Riders: critical illness, disability and accident cover add to the price
- How you pay: yearly can be cheaper than monthly
Insurance relief: 15% back
Resident individuals get insurance relief of 15% of the premiums they pay on life, education and health policies for themselves, a spouse or a child, up to KES 60,000 a year (KES 5,000 a month).
The relief applies to a policy with an insurer lawfully carrying on life business in Kenya, with the sum assured payable in Kenya in Kenyan shillings, so a foreign-currency policy is unlikely to qualify.
How to pay less for the same cover
- Buy while you are young and healthy, and choose a level premium that stays fixed
- Match the term to the need: until the youngest finishes university, or the loan ends
- Choose term cover for the large sum and keep savings separate
- Take the medical if offered: it can avoid a waiting period or a higher no-medical price
- Claim your 15% insurance relief through payroll
- Compare insurers: they price the same person differently
Frequently asked questions
How much is life insurance per month in Kenya?
From about KES 200 a month for KES 100,000 of micro cover to KES 3,000 a month and more for millions of shillings of term or whole life cover. A healthy 30-year-old can expect roughly KES 4,000 to 8,000 a month for KES 10 million over 20 years, on Kenyan planning estimates.
How much does age change the price?
A lot. Premiums rise with every year of age at entry, and from around 45 health conditions become more common. Buying in your 20s or 30s locks in a lower premium for the whole term.
Do smokers pay more for life insurance?
Yes. Kenyan application forms ask about tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Kenyan insurers do not publish smoker rates; abroad smokers often pay roughly double. Some insurers rate you as a non-smoker after 12 months nicotine-free.
How does insurance relief lower my cost?
You get back 15% of the premiums you pay, up to KES 60,000 a year, through PAYE or your tax return. On KES 6,000 a month (KES 72,000 a year) that is KES 10,800 a year, so the cover costs you KES 5,100 a month.
Is cover without a medical exam more expensive?
Usually, yes, or it comes with a waiting period. One Kenyan example quoted KES 2,500 a month without a medical against KES 2,000 with one; Britam's no-medical tier has a 12-month waiting period.
Is it cheaper to pay yearly?
Often. Some insurers discount annual payment (Liberty gives 10% off its funeral cover) or charge a small monthly policy fee (Prudential KES 50 a month).
Are there levies on life insurance premiums?
The Policyholders Compensation Fund levy of 0.25% of the premium applies. Your insurer's quote shows the full amount to pay.
Want your exact figure?
Tell us your age, the cover and the term. We compare Kenyan insurers' quotes and send the real premiums.
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Sources (7)
- Britam Life: Tegemeo Protection Plan brochure (July 2026)
- Britam newsroom: Whole Life Insurance Plan launch
- Kenyans.co.ke (15 May 2026), reporting a Britam quotation
- Kenya Revenue Authority: PAYE and insurance relief
- KRA; PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (Kenya)
- PCF Regulations (LN 86/2010); The Star (24 Jun 2026)
- Kenyan life insurers' product pages and a press-reported Britam quotation (checked 28 Oct 2026), and anonymised planning estimates from Kenyan financial-guidance publications
Facts and published prices checked 28 Oct 2026; last reviewed October 2026 by Naveah Capital. Prices shown are insurers' published starting prices and planning estimates in Kenya shillings; they are not a quote. Naveah Capital Insurance Agency is an IRA-licensed insurance agency in Nairobi; this page is general information, and your policy wording decides your cover.
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