Safeguarding Lives and Livelihoods in Kenya

This case study describes a pilot flood insurance programme in Kenya, developed by Britam Insurance Kenya with support from FSD Africa and Swiss Re, to provide financial resilience to vulnerable households in Tana River County following devastating floods in late 2023.

• Between October and December 2023, torrential rains in Kenya caused the displacement of over 546,000 people and resulted in 170 deaths, with Tana River County being particularly hard hit.
• Britam Insurance Kenya and FSD Africa developed Kenya's first flood insurance product after a two-year design and pilot phase. A feasibility study involving 16 stakeholders and 251 households across Kisumu, Kilifi, and Tana River counties found that 70% of respondents were willing to invest in insurance, despite average monthly household incomes barely exceeding Kshs. 11,700.
• The pilot programme provided insurance to 300 families in Tana River County, with 75% of the insured households headed by persons with disabilities, youth, or women. Premiums were subsidised in part by Oxfam Kenya to ensure access for vulnerable groups.
• The financial structure of the pilot involved catalytic funding from FSD Africa to de-risk the phase, while the global reinsurer Swiss Re covered 80% of the claims.

APA

FSD Africa (2025). Safeguarding Lives and Livelihoods in Kenya. https://fsdafrica.org/impact-stories/safeguarding-lives-and-livelihoods-in-kenya/

Chicago

FSD Africa. Safeguarding Lives and Livelihoods in Kenya. 2025. https://fsdafrica.org/impact-stories/safeguarding-lives-and-livelihoods-in-kenya/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=Safeguarding Lives and Livelihoods in Kenya |date=31 May 2025 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/impact-stories/safeguarding-lives-and-livelihoods-in-kenya/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafrica2025safeguarding, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{Safeguarding Lives and Livelihoods in Kenya}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/impact-stories/safeguarding-lives-and-livelihoods-in-kenya/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }