The short answer
Professional indemnity covers claims that your professional advice or service was negligent and caused a client financial loss. Public liability covers injury to people or damage to property caused by your business or on your premises. Consultants need PI; businesses with visitors need public liability; many professional firms need both.
Compare the covers
| Cover | Protects against | Typical claimant | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional indemnity | Negligent advice, errors and omissions in professional services | Clients | Doctors, advocates, accountants, engineers, consultants |
| Public liability | Injury to people or damage to their property | Visitors, members of the public | Any business with premises, visitors or site work |
| Directors & officers (D&O) | Claims about directors' and managers' decisions | Shareholders, regulators, creditors | Companies with a board |
| Cyber | Your own costs and liability after a data breach or cyber attack | Customers, the Data Commissioner | Anyone holding personal data or relying on IT |
| WIBA / employer's liability | Injury or illness of your own employees | Your staff | Every employer |
- Protects against
- Negligent advice, errors and omissions in professional services
- Typical claimant
- Clients
- Who needs it
- Doctors, advocates, accountants, engineers, consultants
- Protects against
- Injury to people or damage to their property
- Typical claimant
- Visitors, members of the public
- Who needs it
- Any business with premises, visitors or site work
- Protects against
- Claims about directors' and managers' decisions
- Typical claimant
- Shareholders, regulators, creditors
- Who needs it
- Companies with a board
- Protects against
- Your own costs and liability after a data breach or cyber attack
- Typical claimant
- Customers, the Data Commissioner
- Who needs it
- Anyone holding personal data or relying on IT
- Protects against
- Injury or illness of your own employees
- Typical claimant
- Your staff
- Who needs it
- Every employer
Medical is the exception
- For doctors and hospitals, PI (malpractice) covers bodily injury to patients: harm to people is its core risk.
- Public liability still covers visitors injured on your premises, such as a fall in the waiting room.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between professional indemnity and public liability?
Professional indemnity covers claims that your professional advice or service was negligent and caused a client loss. Public liability covers injury to people or damage to property on your premises or caused by your business activities. A consultant needs PI; a business with visitors needs public liability; many need both. Medical PI is the exception, because harm to patients is its core risk.
Is PI the same as directors and officers (D&O) insurance?
No. D&O protects directors and managers against claims about how they run the company. PI protects the firm and its professionals against claims about the services they deliver to clients.
Does PI cover a data breach?
Not reliably. PI responds to negligence claims from clients; a data breach also brings notification costs, regulator investigations under the Data Protection Act 2019 and data restoration, which are covered by a separate cyber policy. Many tech firms need both.
How is PI different from employer's liability and WIBA?
WIBA and employer's liability cover your own employees' work injuries and related lawsuits. PI covers your clients' claims of professional negligence. They do not overlap.
What is professional indemnity insurance?
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.
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Sources
Facts and published prices checked 5 Oct 2026; last reviewed October 2026 by Naveah Capital. Prices are indicative published rates, not a quote or a promise. 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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