Minet Kenya has won eight accolades at the 2026 Think Business Insurance Awards, adding to its recognition in Kenya’s insurance brokerage and risk advisory sector, the company said on July 3, 2026 in a media statement issued in Nairobi.

According to Minet Kenya, the awards included wins for Best Corporate Broker, Best Personal Lines Broker and Best Innovator in New & Emerging Risks. The company also received First Runner-Up recognition in General Broker of the Year, Life Broker of the Year and Overall Broker of the Year categories. Minet Kenya said it was additionally recognised for Medical Brokerage and Customer Centricity.

The Think Business Insurance Awards are organised by Think Business, a Kenyan business publication and events platform. The company did not disclose the judging criteria or the number of competitors in its statement.

The awards come as insurers and intermediaries push to expand coverage in a market that remains underinsured by global standards. The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) estimates Kenya’s insurance penetration at about 2.4%, according to figures cited by Minet Kenya. Low penetration has been a recurring theme for the industry, shaping strategies that rely on broader distribution, simplified products and digital channels to reach individuals and small businesses.

Minet Kenya said its recognition in the “New & Emerging Risks” category reflects growing client demand for support in managing non-traditional exposures. In its statement, the firm cited cyber risk, climate-related events, supply chain disruptions and evolving regulatory requirements as key threats businesses and individuals are seeking to address.

Commenting on the awards, Sammy Muthui, Chief Executive Officer of Minet Kenya, said the results reflected client trust and internal execution. “These awards are a strong endorsement of the trust our clients place in us and the dedication of our teams who work every day to help organisations and individuals manage risk with confidence,” Muthui said.

He added that risk complexity is rising across sectors. “The risk landscape today is very complex, but we remain capable and available to deliver practical solutions that protect our clients today while preparing them for tomorrow's challenges. We remain committed to raising the standard of insurance brokerage and risk advisory in Kenya and across the region,” Muthui said.

For Kenya’s insurance market, recognition around corporate brokerage and personal lines underscores how intermediaries are positioning themselves to serve both large institutions and retail customers as competition intensifies. Industry players have increasingly tied growth ambitions to technology-led distribution and advisory-led services, as insurers pursue higher policy volumes and improved retention in a price-sensitive market.

Minet Kenya said it has been investing in digital distribution channels and developing products aligned to changing risks, linking this to the broader opportunity implied by the IRA’s penetration estimate. The company did not provide investment figures, timelines or uptake metrics in the statement.

Going forward, the sector’s near-term focus is expected to remain on expanding access and product relevance, particularly for emerging and hard-to-price risks such as cyber and climate exposures. Minet Kenya said it will continue to develop solutions tailored to evolving client needs, as brokers and insurers compete to grow share in a low-penetration market.

Insurance industry stakeholders are urging insurers and intermediaries to improve claims handling as Kenya’s insurance sector seeks to convert recent growth into higher public trust and wider uptake. The calls were made this week in Naivasha during Minet Kenya’s inaugural Claims Conference, held on March 19, 2026, according to a press release from the firm.

The conference brought together insurers, the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), claims assessors, loss adjusters and other market players to discuss gaps and best practices in claims management. The meeting comes after what stakeholders described as sustained growth in 2025, with industry assets surpassing KES 1 trillion and premium volumes reaching KES 352.29 billion by the third quarter of 2025, as cited in the release.

The press release said regulators have attributed the sector’s recent expansion to innovation and a growing recognition of insurance as a financial protection tool. However, it added that insurance penetration remains just above 2% of GDP, below the global average of 7%, underscoring what it described as a persistent confidence gap despite rising premium volumes.

At the conference, participants argued that the claims experience is central to how customers judge the value of insurance. They pointed to the need for clear communication, transparency and faster settlement processes as key to improving trust, particularly as product distribution and payments have increasingly moved onto digital and mobile channels.

Minet Kenya Chief Executive Officer Sammy Muthui said customer understanding and fragmentation across the claims ecosystem remain major sources of friction. “The two biggest gaps that have been known to bring friction between insurers and customers are knowledge and silos. When we place insurance covers for clients, they do not always fully understand the terms and conditions. As a result, expectations may not be met, leading to disappointment and frustration at the point of claim,” Muthui said.

He added that multiple parties involved in claims processing often operate independently, which can delay settlement. “On silos, there are many players in the ecosystem, including clients, insurance risk advisors, insurance companies, loss adjusters, loss assessors, insurance investigators and reinsurance companies. Because these players often operate in silos, there is insufficient collaboration, which can affect the smooth settlement of claims,” Muthui said.

The stakeholders also discussed technology as a way to reduce delays and disputes. The press release cited digital platforms, automation and improved data management as tools for modernising claims operations, and pointed to artificial intelligence as a potential enabler for risk assessment, fraud detection and processing efficiency.

The IRA said it is putting more emphasis on market conduct and fairness in customer treatment. Insurance Regulatory Authority Market Conduct Director Anne Chelagat said the regulator has developed a framework to guide insurer-customer relationships from onboarding through to claims. “We have developed a Treating Customers Fairly framework that provides a clear pathway for how customers should be treated throughout their journey, from onboarding to the point of making a claim,” Chelagat said.

She said the regulator is shifting towards more proactive oversight. “We are now placing greater focus on market conduct by becoming more proactive rather than reactive. This includes reassessing the relationship between insurers and their customers from the outset, as well as how both parties conduct themselves, to ensure that when a claim arises, due process is followed and the customer is treated fairly,” Chelagat said.

For Kenya’s insurance market, improved claims outcomes could influence customer retention and help lift penetration, particularly among households and small businesses that remain underinsured. Industry efforts to digitise claims could also drive operational efficiencies, but will likely require stronger data governance and better coordination among insurers, intermediaries, assessors and investigators.

Minet Kenya said stakeholders at the conference reaffirmed a commitment to working more closely across the ecosystem, with the regulator pushing operational tools aimed at translating sector growth into improved customer outcomes. The next test will be whether insurers adopt common service standards and invest in end-to-end claims transformation that matches the pace of innovation in distribution.