Insurance Analysis in Kenya Essays

Insurance Analysis in Kenya Essays Insurance Analysis in Kenya Essay Insurance Analysis in Kenya Essay Introduction Insurance in Kenya is known to have been in existence for over sixty years now with the first insurance companies believed to have been owned by British insurers during the colonial times. The industry is governed by the Insurance Act and regulated by the Insurance Regulatory Authority. The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) was created by the Insurance (Amendment) Act of 2006 and came into operation on 1st May 2007. The Authority was established with the mandate of regulating, supervising and developing the insurance industry. Before the establishment of IRA, these functions were performed by the Department of Insurance in the Ministry of Finance. (IRA 2010) As per AKI Insurance Industry Report for the year 2009, there were 44 licensed insurance companies, majority offering non-life insurance business only, nine of them life insurance business while fifteen were composite (both life and non life). There were 137 licensed insurance brokers, 21 medical insurance providers (MIP’s) and 3,076 insurance agents. Other licensed players included 106 investigators, 57 motor assessors, 18 loss adjusters, 2 claims settling agents, 5 risk managers and 26 insurance surveyors. The industry’s contribution to the country’s GDP is still low although there has been notable growth for the last seven years. The gross written premium by the industry was Kshs 64. 47 billion compared to Kshs 55. 19 billion in 2008, representing a growth of 16. 8 %. The gross written premium in non-life insurance was Kshs 43. 11 billion (2008: Kshs 36. 89 billion) while that from life insurance business was Kshs 21. 36 billion (2008: Kshs 18. 30). Non-life insurance premium grew by 16. 8 % while life insurance premium and contributions from deposit administration business grew by 16. %. The combined industry profit after taxation increased by 14. 4% to Kshs. 4. 29 billion compared to Kshs 3. 85 billion in 2008. In 2009 the industry paid Kshs. 20 billion for claims for general insurance business and as benefits to life policy holders. (AKI 2009) Penetration of insurance in the year 2009 was 2. 84% compared to 2. 63% in 2008. Life insurance recorded a penetration ratio o f 0. 94% (2008:0. 87%) while that of non-life insurance was 1. 90% (2008:1. 76%). Only half a million Kenyans, about 1% of the total population are said to have take up life insurance. Up to 80% of Kenyans have no insurance cover due to widespread poverty and a false belief that insurance covers are mainly for the rich. However, based on the recent industry statistics, there is an emerging trend that Kenyans are indeed sensitive to the need for protection against an uncertain risky future. According to Swiss Re (World Insurance Report2009), South Africa is the leading African country in the insurance industry, accounting for 90% of the total volume, followed by Morocco then Egypt. Growth in non life insurance business in Africa was sluggish at 0. 4%. The report pointed out that Africa produced only 1. 4% of the global premium volume in 2009. South Africa’s life insurance premium fell by 16%, premium Growth in Morocco remained flat at 0. 1%, while in Egypt premiums shrank by 5%. There are currently five major players in the insurance industry in Kenya. These include The Co-Operative Insurance Company of Kenya Ltd. (CIC), UAP Financial Services Ltd, APA, Jubil ee Insurance and Resolution Health East Africa. Majority of these insurers operate nationally with a few operating regionally. Some international insurers have entered the Kenyan market through mergers with already existing players. Two of the leading companies were formed through a merger between two existing insurance companies, for instance, APA was formed after a merger between Apollo and Pan-Africa General divisions. Others form partnerships with small insurance companies to cover non-traditional policies like political violence. Solutions need to be developed to address new risks. Insurers have finally recognized the growing needs of the Kenyan people. Agricultural insurance is one of the new policies designed for farmers located in the different parts of the country to shield them from financial loss caused by unfavourable weather conditions. The Cover is provided for livestock, specific crops and poultry losses. Payment of premiums is quick and easy for the farmers, premium payments are done through a specially designed mobile application and in the event of a loss, and farmers are paid through the same method. Medical insurance is divided into three segments, one health cover operated by employers, the second individual cover and the third coverage operated by the government targeting low income earners through the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Health insurers have raised concern about clients who view cover value as expensive as opposed to the benefits. That’s why insurers are coming up with affordable schemes. Medical e-cards that users top up, similar to prepaid airtime scratch cards, any member of the family can use the e-card as long it has money. Due to poor health infrastructure in the country, rural hospitals have inadequate facilities and are understaffed, thereby making people to travel to major city for treatment; this has also contributed to the rise in health insurance cost. Many insurers have shied away from HIVAIDs insurance because of the risks involved. Travel cover is currently being offered by only two insurers, one of them has partnered with Kenya’s main airline company to provide a package that covers loss of luggage, flight delays, cancellation, medical emergency and personal liability. The premium cost is based on traveller’s destination and length of stay. Claims are made online or when the client returns from their trip. The cover can be acquired when buying a ticket or through travel agents. Higher learning has become very expensive both for local and overseas universities, forcing parents to borrow heavily from banks to pay university fees. Education policy is definitely necessary for most parents who want their kids to get good education. The industry is definitely on the growth stage and most insurers are strengthening their market share by positioning themselves as affordable insurance providers offering new products for the untapped regions such as younger and older people. Industry analysis PESTE Political Economic Social Technological Political Factors The political violence experienced in 2007 resulted in major losses for businesses and individuals mainly because current insurance companies were not offering cover for such risks. The unrest has made insurers quickly come up policies to cover these risks. Motor insurance is reported to have doubled in the last six months; the government through the Insurance Regulatory Board has increased the premiums in a move to counter fraud and fake claims known to have forced over ten motor insurance companies to shutdown due to losses incurred through claims. Economic Factors High tax imposed on life and health insurance has made policies to be expensive and affordable to a small percentage of the population. The insurance industry is pushing for tax deductible premiums paid on life and health insurance to be tax deductible from chargeable income up to 30 percent of the gross income. Income Tax Act Cap 470, Section 19(5) and (6) Poverty and unemployment are still the biggest challenges facing the industry. With no source of income for many youth and women, the last thing that this demographic prioritize is insurance. This makes it very hard for the growth and development of the insurance companies because of the low number of clients which represents the few employed people who in turn can be able to pay for the insurance policies provided by the insurance companies. This situation is further compounded by the rise of HIV and AIDS which adversely affects the working class that forms a critical target group for insurance services. The rising levels of poverty and high cost of living has reduced disposable income hence relegating insurance matters to the back burner. This is as a result of people first meeting their basic needs first before considering other expenses, which include insurance policies. Perhaps the government can relax some of the strict regulations present for private investors to encourage investment both locally and internationally. This may increase the number of the insurance companies in the country allowing more space for competition thus in the long run lowering the costs of insurance policies to the advantage of the consumers. High inflation rates has increased operation costs , raised the cost of living and therefore, made it difficult for the citizens to be able to afford insurance policies due to the current turbulent economic conditions that has led to an increase in policy prices. Fraud / Corruption largely affect the development of the insurance sector in Kenya. It has undermined the economic development of the country by generating considerable distortions and inefficiency. This makes the companies to constantly perform poorly and thus calls for the introduction of anti money laundering which helps to curb the vice. Social Factors In order to boost penetration of insurance in Kenya, vigorous awareness campaigns should be used to educate people on the importance of insurance. Policy covers should be packaged with the end-user in mind, for example selling agricultural insurance cover to non-farmers is useless. Product development should be flexible to allow the ever changing needs of the dynamic insurance industry. oIncrease in lifestyle diseases – oIlliteracy levels spread Insurance knowledge and risk management to clients looking to reduce losses, advice clients how to manage their finances and how they can help minimize risks oInadequate health facilities Cultural values – harambee culture oDemographic changes oNegative perception on insurance, bad publicity fraud, fake claims Technological Factors Mobile phone use has eased the communication between clients and the insurance companies in the sense that if any of the two parties want to contact the other, it becomes very simple. Increase use of the Internet has enabled customers to access information, submit claims and compare policies from different providers. Environment Climatic changes Emergence of informal settlements. Legal Lengthy legislation process. Corruption and fraud. Lack of structured compensation scheme. Porters 5 Competitive Forces Analysis 1. Rivalry among existing players. The insurance industry is becoming highly competitive. The difference between one insurance company and another is usually not that great. As a result, insurance has become more like a commodity an area in which the insurance company with the low cost structure, greater efficiency and better customer service will beat out competitors. Insurance companies also use higher investment returns and a variety of insurance investment products to try to lure in customers. In the long run, were likely to see more consolidation in the insurance industry. Larger companies prefer to take over or merge with other companies rather than spend the money to market and advertise to people. 2. Threat of New Entrants. Mergers and strategic partnerships are on the rise to introduce products with low premium rates. While the industry leaders have already positioned themselves there are still untapped areas such as the youth and the older generation. Government requires all insurers to maintain a solvency margin of about USD 12,476, or 5 percent of assets in excess of liabilities. This might prevent new players from entering the market because of the high margins required 3. . Availability of Substitutes. Since the existing products in the market are similar, consumers will look for an affordable product to suit their needs. Some policies have many substitutes others have few for instance motor insurance is offered by most of the insurer while health is offered by a selected few. Most large insurance companies offer similar suites of services. Wh ether it is auto, home, commercial, health or life insurance, chances are there are competitors that can offer similar services. In some areas of insurance, however, the availability of substitutes is few and far between. Companies focusing on niche areas usually have a competitive advantage, but this advantage depends entirely on the size of the niche and on whether there are any barriers preventing other firms from entering. 5. Bargaining Power of Buyers. Individuals looking for a good cover obviously have a lower bargaining power compared to corporate customers. 6. Power of Suppliers. Foreign investors are starting to have an interest in this industry. Since insurance is still growing, existing experts in the industry tend to hop from one company to another looking for better pay