What is term life insurance?
Term life insurance pays a fixed lump sum to your beneficiaries if you die within the term you choose, usually 5 to 30 years. It has no savings element, so if you outlive the term nothing is paid (unless you choose a return-of-premium plan), which makes it the cheapest way to buy a large amount of life insurance.
Term life plans from Kenyan insurers
Published terms of the main individual term plans. 'Set at quote' means the insurer does not publish it.
| Insurer and plan | Entry age | Cover | Term | Medical exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britam Tegemeo | 18 – 65 | KES 3M – 10M without medicals; KES 5M – 100M with | 5, 10, 15 or 20 years | Optional; without it, a 12-month wait |
| Prudential PRUTerm | 18 – 60 (cover to 75) | KES 1M – 80M | 5 – 25 years, or yearly renewable | Above KES 5M, paid by Prudential |
| Old Mutual Term Life Cover | Cover to age 80 | From KES 1M, no maximum | 10 years or more | Paid by Old Mutual |
| CIC Family Protector | 18 – 74 | From KES 75,000 | 1 – 30 years | Set at quote |
| Pioneer Term Assurance | 18 – 60 | Set at quote | 5 – 30 years, or to a milestone | Set at quote |
| Geminia Term Life | 18 – 65 | Set at quote | 5 – 25 years | Set at quote |
| Kenindia Term Assurance | Up to 50 | From KES 1M | The premium term | Paid by you |
| Jubilee Ahadi | Set at quote | Set at quote | 1 – 10 years | Set at quote |
| ICEA LION Level Term | Set at quote | You choose the premium and term | You choose | Set at quote |
- Entry age
- 18 – 65
- Cover
- KES 3M – 10M without medicals; KES 5M – 100M with
- Term
- 5, 10, 15 or 20 years
- Medical exam
- Optional; without it, a 12-month wait
- Entry age
- 18 – 60 (cover to 75)
- Cover
- KES 1M – 80M
- Term
- 5 – 25 years, or yearly renewable
- Medical exam
- Above KES 5M, paid by Prudential
- Entry age
- Cover to age 80
- Cover
- From KES 1M, no maximum
- Term
- 10 years or more
- Medical exam
- Paid by Old Mutual
- Entry age
- 18 – 74
- Cover
- From KES 75,000
- Term
- 1 – 30 years
- Medical exam
- Set at quote
- Entry age
- 18 – 60
- Cover
- Set at quote
- Term
- 5 – 30 years, or to a milestone
- Medical exam
- Set at quote
- Entry age
- 18 – 65
- Cover
- Set at quote
- Term
- 5 – 25 years
- Medical exam
- Set at quote
- Entry age
- Up to 50
- Cover
- From KES 1M
- Term
- The premium term
- Medical exam
- Paid by you
- Entry age
- Set at quote
- Cover
- Set at quote
- Term
- 1 – 10 years
- Medical exam
- Set at quote
- Entry age
- Set at quote
- Cover
- You choose the premium and term
- Term
- You choose
- Medical exam
- Set at quote
From each insurer's website, checked 28 October 2026. We confirm current terms when we quote.
Key facts about Kenyan term plans
Britam's Tegemeo term plan runs 5, 10, 15 or 20 years for ages 18 to 65: KES 3 million to 10 million without medical tests (with a 12-month waiting period), or KES 5 million to 100 million with medicals and full cover from day one.
Source: Britam Life: Tegemeo Protection Plan brochure (July 2026)
Prudential's PRUTerm covers KES 1 million to 80 million for ages 18 to 60, to age 75. Medicals are needed above KES 5 million (Prudential pays), natural-cause death has a 6-month waiting period and suicide is excluded for 2 years.
Source: Prudential Life Kenya: PRUTerm
Old Mutual's Term Life Cover starts at KES 1 million with no maximum, for a term of at least 10 years and cover to age 80; Old Mutual pays for the medicals at sign-up.
ICEA LION's Value Added Term Assurance returns all your premiums if you survive the term, for a lower sum assured than its Level Term plan.
Jubilee's Ahadi term plan (1 to 10 years) can be bought online and refunds premiums if the life assured survives a term of more than 5 years.
Level, decreasing or return of premium?
Level term
The same sum assured and premium for the whole term. Most Kenyan term plans work this way.
Decreasing cover
The sum falls as a loan is repaid; used for mortgages and credit life.
Return of premium
Your premiums come back if you survive the term, for a lower sum assured (ICEA LION Value Added Term, Jubilee Ahadi).
Renewable or convertible
Can be renewed or switched to another plan at the end of the term (Geminia; Prudential's yearly plan).
Joint life
Two people on one policy, paid on the first death (a spouse on Prudential's PRUTerm).
Family income
Pays a monthly income instead of one lump sum (Britam Family Income Protection Plan).
Riders you can add
- Critical illness: part of the sum paid on diagnosis of cancer, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and similar illnesses (CIC advances 50%)
- Total permanent disability: the sum paid if you can never work again
- Accidental death: double the sum if death is caused by an accident
- Funeral expense: cash for the funeral within 48 hours, ahead of the main claim
- Waiver of premium: premiums stop if you become disabled or critically ill
- Retrenchment waiver: some plans pause premiums for a few months after a job loss
Conditions to check before you sign
- Waiting periods: Britam's no-medical tier has 12 months (premiums refunded on a death in that year); Prudential's PRUTerm 6 months for natural causes. Accidents are covered at once.
- Suicide: excluded for the first 2 years on PRUTerm; Old Mutual's Whole Life lists it with no time limit.
- Grace period: Britam gives 30 days to pay a missed premium before the policy lapses.
- Disclosure: answer every health and lifestyle question honestly; an agent cannot waive a question.
- Territory: some plans limit cover for deaths outside Kenya.
Pre-existing conditions and HIV
Under section 35 of the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act 2006, no one can be made to take an HIV test to get life cover. Insurers must set a cover limit below which HIV status need not be disclosed; above it they may test, load the premium or decline.
Diabetes, high blood pressure and similar conditions are decided case by case: accepted, accepted with a higher premium or an exclusion, postponed or declined. We approach the insurers most likely to accept you before you apply.
What term life costs
Britam publishes term cover from KES 3,000 a month for KES 3 million over 5 years, and ICEA LION from KES 2,000 a month. A Kenyan planning estimate puts KES 10 million over 20 years at KES 4,000 to 8,000 a month for a healthy 30-year-old. Age, health, smoking and the term set your price.
See life insurance prices and a worked example
Frequently asked questions
What does life insurance not cover?
Each policy lists its own exclusions. The usual ones on Kenyan plans are:
- Suicide in the first two years (some plans list it with no time limit)
- Death from a health condition you did not disclose when you applied
- Death while committing a crime, or from deliberate drug or alcohol abuse
- War, terrorism or riot when you take an active part
- Hazardous sports and private flying, unless the insurer agreed to cover them
- Natural-cause death during a waiting period, where the plan has one
- Any death after the policy has lapsed for unpaid premiums
Read the exclusions page of your policy, and tell us about any risky job or hobby before you apply.
What happens when a term policy ends and I am still alive?
Nothing is paid on a standard level term plan; the cover simply stops. Some plans refund premiums if you survive (ICEA LION's Value Added Term, Jubilee's Ahadi on terms over 5 years), and some can be renewed or converted to another plan at the end of the term.
Do I need a medical exam for term life?
It depends on the sum assured and your age. Britam's Tegemeo covers up to KES 10 million without medicals (with a 12-month wait), Prudential asks for medicals above KES 5 million, and the insurer usually pays for them.
Can I buy term life after 60?
Yes, with fewer choices. CIC's Family Protector accepts people up to 74 and Britam's Tegemeo up to 65; Prudential stops at 60 and Kenindia's term plan at 50. Over 65, funeral (last expense) plans are often the practical option.
How long should my term be?
Long enough to cover the years your family depends on your income: until your youngest child finishes university, your mortgage is paid off, or you retire. Pioneer, for example, lets you set the term to a milestone.
Can my spouse and I share one term policy?
Yes. Joint life cover, such as a spouse added to Prudential's PRUTerm, pays once, on the first death. Two separate policies cost a little more but pay twice if both of you die.
Can I get life insurance with diabetes, high blood pressure or HIV?
Often, yes. Insurers decide case by case: they may accept you at the normal rate, add to the premium, exclude a condition, postpone or decline. By law no one can be made to take an HIV test to get cover below the insurer's no-disclosure limit. Always disclose your health honestly: an undisclosed condition can void a claim.
What happens if I miss a premium?
Most insurers give a grace period, often 30 days. If the premium is still unpaid the policy lapses and nothing is paid on a claim. Savings-type policies with a cash value may keep going for a while through an automatic premium loan; ask us before you stop paying.
Compare term life plans
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Sources (11)
- Britam Life: Tegemeo Protection Plan brochure (July 2026)
- Prudential Life Kenya: PRUTerm
- Old Mutual Kenya: Term Life Cover
- CIC Life: life protection solutions
- ICEA LION Life: Value Added Term Assurance
- Jubilee Life: Ahadi Term Assurance
- CIC Life: Family Protector brochure
- Britam Life: Tegemeo Protection Plan
- Britam Life: Individual Life Assurance Application Form 2026
- Britam Life: Whole Life Insurance Plan brochure 2026
- HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act 2006, s.35
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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