Insurer ordered to pay claimants

By EVELYN KWAMBOKA

The High Court has stopped an insurance company from using a court order to bar claimants from demanding compensation.

Lady Justice Jeanne Gacheche said Blue Shield Insurance Company should only use the said court order only to stop 20,000 claimants whose names were published in the local daily newspapers.

The judge interpreted the order issued last year after a group of lawyers informed the court that the company was misusing the order to ground cases, execution of decrees and judgments against it, countrywide.

However, Justice Gacheche told lawyers in the matter that they have to adhere to consents entered, if any, adding that this would not affect service providers.

She also ordered that an application filed by the Law Society of Kenya to set aside orders barring those in the lists published in the local dailies, to be heard on July 14.

Interpretation of the order will now enable unlisted litigants to execute decrees against the company. This will also see advocates with bills of costs, suppliers and degrees from the Industrial Court honoured.

Victims who have been keeping decrees awarded by the courts in their favour would also be able to execute them, since the orders issued last year only affect those in the schedule lists.

Lawyers had informed the court that the order stopped all cases touching on the company and including litigants filing fresh cases.

The order issued on May 29, 2010 stopped the Attorney General’s office and all third parties from suing the company, executing judgments, warrants of arrest and attachments of its properties, pending hearing and determination of the case.

However, the company told the court that some lawyers entered into consents fraudulently and urged the court to hear the matter instead of allowing fresh cases being filed countrywide.

BRANCH NETWROK

Blue Shield Insurance is a composite insurer established in 1982. The Company was started with the goal of making insurance products and services accessible to a wide cross section of Kenyans.

As one of the oldest indigenous owned insurance companies, it has grown with many of its customers.

In the last 26 years, Blue Shield insurance has undergone significant growth. The company has authorised share capital of Sh250 million and its asset base is over Sh3.1 billion. The life fund today stands at Sh260 million.

Over the years, the company has built a strong branch network which ensures that the company has a presence in all major towns enabling us to reach clients in many parts of the country.