Insurance brokers protest exclusion from State tenders

Presidents of the Association of East African Regional Insurance Brokers peruse some information in a mobile phone on the second day of the Association of Insurance Brokers of Kenya at the Leisure Lodge Beach Resort in Diani, November 24, 2017. [Photo by Gideon Maundu/Standard]

Insurance brokers have accused the Government of bypassing them when sourcing for insurance services.

Under the aegis of the Association of Insurance Brokers-Kenya (AIBK), they claimed they had lost more than 50 per cent of the market share as a result of Government agencies, especially parastatals, preferring to deal with insurance companies directly.

The brokers accused procurement officers in State offices of being behind the ploy to deny them business.

“We are bewildered by this new development. Parastatals which particularly need insurance services as they seek cover for their various properties and their employees used to come to us for services. Now they have chosen to contact the underwriters directly,” said AIBK Vice Chairman Nelson Omollo in an interview.

Meeting today

The brokers, who are scheduled to have their annual general meeting today, will deliberate over how to compel the Government to include them in tender issues.

Their argument is that the Government does not incur extra costs by engaging their services because they are paid directly by underwriters in form of commissions.

“When the State comes to us, we look for the best underwriter with the least amount of premium to insure whatever it wants to be insured. Through that service, the Government benefits without incurring any expense. So we wonder why they are bypassing us now. There must be some disagreeable plan between the underwriters and State procurement officers,” said Mr Omollo.