Senate orders insurers to compensate injured police officers within 14 days
The legislators criticised the insurers for frustrating officers who risk their lives to protect the country, saying the prolonged delays in compensation were unacceptable.
Insurance companies contracted to cover police officers have been given two weeks to release compensation to officers injured while on duty.
The directive follows appeals by petitioners John Amana, Peter Wang’ombe and Quinto Okumu, who appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, seeking its intervention to ensure their long-pending compensation claims are settled without further delay.
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In a session on Thursday, the Committee expressed concern that hundreds of affected officers have been left to suffer for years despite their claims being verified by the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS).
Committee Chairperson Senator Fatuma Dullo ordered the consortium of insurance firms to pay all approved claims within 14 days.
She said the directive must be implemented before the Committee’s next sitting.
“We are ordering you to pay the claims, and that is a must. It is not a request, and it must be done before the next meeting. We have given you 14 days to give us the updated list,” Fatuma said.
The legislators criticised the insurers for frustrating officers who risk their lives to protect the country, saying the prolonged delays in compensation were unacceptable.
“These officers’ salaries are minimal. They get injured, then sadly, they wait for over five years to be compensated. We must be humane and help them get out of the challenges they are facing,” Senator Fatuma added.
The Committee also pledged to amend legislation to strengthen enforcement mechanisms that would compel insurance firms to honour verified claims promptly. Members further proposed that the government consider blacklisting companies that fail to pay or delay compensation.
The consortium’s representative, Sylvester Nzioka, informed the Committee that as of October 2025, a total of Sh1,075,821,764 had been disbursed to injured officers. However, Senators faulted the insurers for unnecessary delays, saying the drawn-out process had caused immense suffering to many police officers and their families.
According to the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services, a total of 2,114 accident notifications had been received from the National Police Service. Of these, 1,512 were from the Kenya Police Service, 494 from the Administration Police Service and 108 from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The Directorate said all notifications had been processed in accordance with the Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA) and that compensation calculations had been forwarded to the relevant agencies to facilitate payments.
Musa Nyandusi, who represented the Directorate, told the Committee that several challenges continue to hinder timely compensation. These include weak enforcement mechanisms, lengthy and costly claims processes, extended litigation, delayed recognition of work-related illnesses and the absence of a dedicated compensation fund for police officers.
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