Medical insurers have made a U-turn on earlier claims that they will not foot bills for holders who contract the deadly coronavirus, hours after the first case was reported in Kenya.
IRA said in a statement that it had held an engagement with the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) chief executive Tom Gichuhi and agreed that insured victims will be covered.
“The public is hereby assured that the insurance companies will continue to provide their services to policyholders affected or infected with the virus,” said IRA.
This would have seen insured patients pay for treatment using their own money or depend on the government.
Insurers have now offered a window to cover a pandemic, which by standard insurance practice, is typically excluded from covers.
Kenya is on a high alert after a woman who traveled back to the country from the US via London tested positive for the virus, forcing the government to ban all public gatherings, unnecessary travels to affected countries and prison visits.
Mr Gichuhi had on Thursday warned that a fast spread of the disease in the country could pose premium nightmares to insurers, with a risk of driving them out of business.
