Invest in insurance policies for your protection, IRA educates target groups

The insurance regulatory authority (IRA) has continued its campaigns in Kakamega County urging the residents to embrace the culture of insurance.
The regulator which has invested a lot to see such workshops a success across the country has stressed the need for the public to take seriously the trainings and ensure that the same information trickles and penetrates to the grassroots consumers.
Kenya is ranked 4th in Africa for investing in insurance matters with IRA working around the clock to steer it to the top position through the ongoing sensitization and education trainings.
The IRA director Professor of Joel Chemiron while giving his remarks during the 4th day of the regulators Bima Mashinani initiative workshops targeting different groups including the national government administration officers (NGAO), Kenya national union of teachers (KNUT), Kenya union of post primary education teachers (KUPPET), Kenya national of commerce and chambers industry (KNCCI), persons living with disabilities (PLWD)’s, farmers, youth and women, revealed that the training and education program was a costly one meant to empower and upgrade the consumers to make sound and right decision on picking insurance policies for themselves and their properties and businesses.
“The countrywide exercise dubbed Bima Mashinani is one of the many other workshops, the regulator carries out, and to see such successful workshops being professionally held, we inject in over Ksh 500Million worth of budget to cater for the trainings so that we can improve awareness on insurance to our clientele and enable them learn and understand better who we are and what we offer and in return pass the same information to their friends and families across board of the need to have insurance policy”, he said.
The director said the insurance education and training under the Bima Mashinani initiative was part of their mandate as stipulated in cap 4 (87) of the constitution where (IRA) is in charge of supervising and promoting all the insurance companies within the country.
“Already we have had such successful trainings in 21out of the targeted 47 counties across the country with very impactful response and we hope by the time we leave Kakamega we will have resonated well with the various stakeholders on insurance policy management as they are our ambassadors to see the information trickling down to the grassroots consumers
Insurance is a subject that needs to be understood by all Kenyans as it one of those key economic drivers the country depends on” he added.
He insisted that good penetration of the Bima Mashinani was key as it will enable the consumers to understand how to go about which policies and have a vast knowledge of which insurance policy befits them.
Chemiron observed that the target groups were essential in disseminating the information to the masses at their disposal hence the need to upgrade their knowledge on insurance policies.
“It is my wish that the various stakeholders conglomerating here will benefit from this insurance knowledge being taught here and will go a long way in assisting them and their relatives to make very wise decision on insurance policies and covers.”
At the same time the director called on the 61 insurance companies within the country to give Kenyans the services they require noting that (IRA) was committed to carry out its oversight mandate.
He also reminded the public to make good use of the IRA scholarship programmes as well as job opportunities being advertised for their consumption.
In response the KNUT, KUPPET and KNCCI officials pledges to continue partnering and supporting the regulators initiatives of bringing the insurance policies closer to the common Mwananchi promising to spread the insurance gospel even further to the locals.