Professional Indemnity Insurance in Kenya

Professional indemnity (PI) insurance pays to defend you, and pays any compensation you owe, if a client claims that a mistake, omission or negligent advice in your professional work cost them money or, in medicine, caused them harm. In Kenya it is also called professional liability, errors and omissions (E&O) or, for doctors and hospitals, malpractice cover.

For some professions, yes. It is a legal requirement for doctors and dentists (KMPDC licence renewal), advocates (minimum KES 1 million), insurance brokers (at least KES 10 million or 5% of premium), CMA-licensed investment advisers (minimum KES 500,000) and estate agents (minimum KES 200,000 per practitioner), and ICPAK requires it for licensed accounting firms. For engineers, architects and consultants it is not a legal requirement, but clients and tenders frequently ask for it.

For individuals, published rates start at about KES 3,100–7,100 a year for KES 1 million of cover (advocates and GPs) and rise with your specialty and limit: a GP pays roughly KES 17,500–21,000 for KES 5 million, a surgeon about KES 32,000–36,000. Firms are priced on fee income, staff and claims history. Levies of 0.45% plus KES 40 stamp duty are added.

Your legal defence costs, court awards and agreed settlements arising from a negligent act, error or omission in your professional work, including mistakes by your partners and employees. Most insurers also offer loss of documents, libel and slander, and employee dishonesty, either included or as extensions. Medical PI also covers bodily injury to patients.

Criminal, dishonest or deliberate acts; work outside your declared profession or licence; claims you knew about before the policy started; fines and penalties; contractual guarantees beyond your normal duty of care; your insolvency; and, on some wordings, claims brought in the USA or Canada. Injury to your own staff and damage to property belong under other policies (WIBA/employer's liability and public liability).

At least any legal minimum for your profession, then enough to meet the largest claim you could realistically face: think of your biggest contract or fee, what a client could lose through your error, and any limit a client or tender requires. Remember that defence costs usually come out of the same limit.

Kenyan PI policies respond to claims made against you while the policy is in force, not when the mistake happened. So if you stop renewing, a claim that arrives later about past work is not covered, unless you have run-off cover. Keep your cover continuous.

Because PI is claims-made, you need run-off cover to stay protected against claims about work you did before you stopped. Insurers offer it on request; ask us to price it before you close or retire.

Individuals usually need a completed proposal form, a current practising licence or registration certificate, national ID or passport and KRA PIN. Firms also provide gross fees for recent years, partners' qualifications and experience, staff numbers and any past claims or circumstances.

We compare 9+ insurers' terms for your profession, check the details that matter at claim time (limit, excess, defence costs, retroactive date, extensions), keep your cover continuous at renewal, and support you when a claim arrives. Our advice costs you nothing extra.