Jubilee Health Insurance is expanding an instalment-based premium payment model in Nairobi to increase access to private health insurance among uninsured and underinsured Kenyans, the company said on Friday, 3 July 2026.
The insurer said the scale-up is informed by customer feedback indicating that while many people value health cover, they struggle to pay annual lump-sum premiums. Under the “Linda Afya Leo – Lipa Pole Pole” model, customers can activate cover from the first payment and spread premiums over up to 10 monthly instalments, according to the company.
The campaign targets individuals, families, first-time insurance buyers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with between three and 50 employees. Jubilee said plans start from KES 3,256 per month, offering KES 200,000 inpatient cover and KES 40,000 outpatient cover, while higher-tier options provide up to KES 10 million in inpatient cover.
The rollout comes as Kenya continues to prioritise universal health coverage and financial inclusion, with insurers and regulators increasingly focused on models that reduce the upfront cost of joining insurance schemes—particularly for households that earn irregular incomes or face competing expenses.
Jubilee Health Insurance Chief Executive Officer Njeri Jomo said affordability and enrolment barriers have continued to limit private health insurance penetration, with lump-sum annual premiums cited as a key constraint for many households.
“Many Kenyans remain uninsured not because they do not value health insurance, but because cover is often seen as expensive and complex,” Ms. Jomo said. She added that the company’s intention is to simplify how customers access cover: “This is about much more than changing how customers pay. It’s about changing how customers access health insurance.”
The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) said payment approaches that reflect how consumers manage cash flow could support broader uptake. IRA Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Kiptum said solutions geared toward informal sector workers and underserved households are important to improving penetration and confidence in insurance.
“Improving insurance penetration requires solutions that respond to the realities of consumer cash flow, especially among informal sector workers and underserved households,” Mr Kiptum said. “Approaches that support affordability, accessibility and consumer understanding are important in broadening inclusion and strengthening confidence in insurance.”
Jubilee said the Nairobi campaign will be delivered through a community outreach effort dubbed “Afya Mtaani,” with health advisors engaging residents directly before the model is expanded to other regions. For the market, the move underscores a wider shift by insurers toward product structures and distribution channels that reduce friction in onboarding—combining digital enrolment with on-the-ground sales and education to address low awareness and trust barriers.
The company said the initiative forms part of its growth strategy in health insurance and supports its target of covering one million lives by the end of 2027.
Jubilee Health Insurance is a subsidiary of Jubilee Holdings Limited.