KAKAMEGA, Kenya—Kenyan households heavily rely on domestic workers, operating largely within the informal economy and often referred to as house helps, to manage daily chores, childcare, and work-life balance. The domestic sector employs roughly 2 million people, making up a significant portion of Kenya’s informal workforce.
Families, particularly in urban areas, depend on domestic workers as an affordable alternative to formal childcare to balance demanding work schedules. Unfortunately, these workers are exposed to various forms of suffering. Workers report being slapped, beaten, or subjected to unwanted sexual advances and assault behind closed doors.
Another common occurrence is that these workers are frequently exposed to physical, ergonomic, and chemical injuries due to long working hours, lack of safety equipment, and hazardous working conditions. Many Kenyan households are unaware of their legal responsibilities as employers—and that without the right insurance, an accident at home could leave you facing hefty bills and potential legal claims.
Domestic workers’ insurance (sometimes called domestic employee insurance or workman’s compensation for domestic staff) protects you as an employer if your domestic worker is injured or falls ill while working for you.
Against this backdrop, Britam Connect, Kenya’s largest microinsurer by market share, unveiled Bima ya Wafanyikazi in July 2026, a comprehensive medical insurance solution that expands access to quality healthcare for domestic and informal workers.
Starting at KSh 336 a month, the cover, underwritten by Britam and distributed by Minet Kenya Insurance Brokers, provides inpatient, outpatient, maternity, dental, optical, and last-expense benefits. It is available to individual domestic workers, employers, and registered worker associations, widening access to healthcare protection for a segment that has traditionally had limited access to insurance.
Inside the Afya Ya Wafanyikazi health insurance policy
Under Kenyan law, specifically the Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA), every employer—including private households—must provide insurance cover for their employees. This isn’t optional. If your housekeeper, gardener, or nanny gets hurt on the job, you’re legally responsible for their medical treatment and compensation.
The inpatient limit options available under the Afya Ya Wafanyikazi insurance range from KSh 100,000 to KSh 500,000, while the outpatient cover is from KSh 20,000 to KSh 65,000.
Janet Mbinya, the Retail and SME Division of Minet Kenya Insurance Brokers Ltd., lists some of the benefits as: Entry age: 18 to 65 years, no medical check-up required before joining, no outpatient co-payment, access to a wide network of hospitals countrywide.
“To apply, simply provide the following: a completed group application form and the company/employer’s KRA PIN certificate,” said Mbinya.
Mbinya further disclosed that the key policy conditions include no copayment for outpatient cases, a 1-month waiting period for all illness and natural death, no waiting period for accidental cases, a 10-month waiting period for maternity and pregnancy-related treatments, and a 10-month waiting period for chronic and pre-existing conditions.
From caring for children and older persons to cleaning homes, preparing meals, providing security, and supporting hospitals and other community institutions, domestic and informal workers keep households, organisations, and essential services running every day.
Why Minet Kenya partnered with Britam Connect
The domestic sector is one of the country’s largest sources of employment outside agriculture and small-scale trade. Yet over 90% of domestic workers lack any form of medical protection, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). However, many also work in informal or semi-formal arrangements, often without written contracts or adequate financial protection, leaving them particularly vulnerable when illness or medical emergencies strike.
Britam Connect CEO and Principal Officer Evah Kimani said the launch reflects the company’s commitment to designing insurance solutions around the everyday realities of underserved communities.
“For many domestic and informal workers, there is very little room for life’s disruptions. An illness, injury, or even a few days away from work can quickly place pressure on household finances. Bima Ya Wafanyikazi is anchored on holistic healthcare, bringing together outpatient and inpatient care, maternity, dental, and optical benefits, as well as annual health check-ups, so workers can seek care earlier, stay healthier, and face fewer financial shocks when illness strikes,” she said.
Minet Kenya CEO Sammy Muthui said the partnership combines Minet’s distribution capability with Britam Connect’s expertise in inclusive insurance to deliver a solution that addresses a genuine market need.
“Insurance should solve real problems. We spent a great deal of time listening to our customers and understanding their evolving needs. One message came through clearly: there is a significant gap in healthcare protection for Kenya’s informal workforce, and it is a gap that demands innovative solutions. Together with Britam, we have combined our strengths to create a solution that will make a meaningful difference for thousands of Kenyan workers and their families,” he said.
According to Mbinya, Bima ya Wafanyikazi has been designed specifically for domestic workers and other informal sector employees; this affordable medical cover gives employers an easy way to protect the people who support them every day.
“From only KSh 40 per day, employers can provide quality healthcare for househelps, nannies, cooks, gardeners, drivers, security guards, and other workers, with the option to include their spouses and children. Because everyone deserves the dignity of healthcare,” she explained.
The comprehensive package offered by Bima Ya Wafanyikazi
The applicant and the spouse should be between 18 and 65 years at entry. The policy is renewable annually but has an exit age of 70 years.
Britam, however, reserves the right to renew cover or not before expiry. Children between 38 weeks and 18 years automatically qualify for inclusion. Those above 18 years and up to 24 years can be included only if they are students in school/college.
“Bima Ya Wafanyikazi provides a comprehensive package that combines inpatient, outpatient, maternity, dental, optical, and last expense benefits. It is an optional rider under existing medical schemes or can be taken as a standalone group product for registered domestic workers associations. The cover is renewable annually,” Mbinya also said.
The premium has to be paid in full, and no minimum number is required for this group. On the other hand, there is a 1-month waiting period for all illnesses and natural death.
The policy, Mbinya reiterated, doesn’t include a waiting period for accidental cases (conditions, surgeries, or death). But it offers a 10-month waiting period for maternity- and pregnancy-related treatments. It also has a 10-month waiting period for surgery treatment. 10-month waiting period for chronic and pre-existing conditions.
Exclusions: the cover does not include: Vaccinations (except KEPI) and patented foods/nutritional supplements (including baby foods). Sexual enhancement products, infertility, dialysis, drunkenness. Contact lenses and hearing aids. Expenditure arising from illegal or criminal acts, drug addiction/abuse and related effects, and active participation in riots/political events, except for diagnosed mental health conditions. Any claim arising from the insured allowing others to provide false information or intentionally causing or worsening illness.
What the insurance health policy means to the Kenyan workforce
Agnes Wanjiru, a resident of Nakuru County who has insured her four workers on the health policy, said that it has ‘greatly’ improved their morale.
“I believe that I now have a more highly engaged workforce with good colleague relationships and excellent morale. This policy provides peace of mind,” said Wanjiru.
Evans Mutua, a gardener at Wanjiru’s homestead, revealed that he is now confident that as insured employees, their loved ones will be provided for financially should the worst happen.
“It is a fact that the security that protection insurance offers is particularly important to employees with families or other dependents. We can confidently prove that it has had a positive impact on our morale, as my fellow team members feel supported,” stated Mutua.
Julius Kangu, a farmer in Kakamega County who has also insured his two employees on the Afya Ya Wafanyikazi health policy, expressed confidence that she would retain her human resources for a long time.
“They (employees) feel that as their employer, I care for them beyond their ability to produce high-quality work; their loyalty has increased, and they are more likely to stay with me in the long term,” explained Kangu.
More Kenyan employers and employees open up on the insurance health policy
One of his employees, Francis Nyarotso, said that the health package motivates him to stay with Chibole.
“All I can say is that I am less likely to see new opportunities elsewhere,” said Nyarotso.
Elizabeth Mwadosho, a business lady from Voi in Taita Taveta County, observed that the critical illness insurance is able to pay a fixed sum if one of her three employees is diagnosed with a serious illness listed in the policy.
“Policies will pay out whether the condition is treatable or not, as long as it’s covered. My fellow employees can, therefore, use the lump sum to help with additional expenses, medical care, or anything else that would benefit their physical and mental health,” explained Mwadosho.
Damaris Adhiambo, a househelp in uptown Nairobi who has also benefited from the healthcare scheme, observed that providing employees with such policies lets them take care of their family and other commitments.
“This demonstrates an employer’s commitment to their well-being. When your team members feel supported, they’re more likely to have high employee engagement and productivity levels. Employee health insurance offers practical mental health support and private healthcare for physical health issues,” Adhiambo added.
Why more insurance companies should adopt this kind of health policies
Globally, an estimated 75.6 million people work as domestic workers in private households, providing essential care and cleaning services.
Statutory minimum wages in Kenya, where most domestic workers lack written contracts, formal job-relevant training, or standard employment benefits, vary by region, with recent adjustments setting baseline pay around KSh 16,113 in major urban centers like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Nakuru, and lower rates in other areas.
Workers frequently face long hours, underpayment, and limited access to medical coverage or social protection. This is especially acute for caregivers supporting persons with disabilities. It is in this regard that stakeholders and labour groups continue to push for Kenya’s full ratification and domestication of ILO Convention 189 (Decent Work for Domestic Workers) and Convention 190 (Violence and Harassment) to improve workplace protections inside private homes.
Organisations and unions like the Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) advocate for worker rights, while groups like the Centre for Domestic Training and Development (CDTD) provide professional homecare training and placement. However, labour inspections remain difficult because inspectors face legal and practical barriers when trying to access private residential properties.
But there is no doubt that the launch of health insurance policies like Afya Ya Wafanyikazi builds on the insurance firms’ leadership in inclusive insurance by developing solutions that help improve access to healthcare, promote decent work, and reduce inequalities by making medical cover available to people who have traditionally been excluded.
