Kenyan Job seekers who travel to the Middle East and Asia will soon be covered by insurance as part of the government’s effort to increase their well-being.
Godfrey Kiptum, the chief executive of the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), said last week that the country needs to recreate models in countries where the cover has been implemented, such as Ethiopia.
Many migrant workers in the informal sector may not have access to social security services like universal health insurance, leaving them unprotected.
Mr Kiptum claims that the coverage would be part of an attempt to extend insurance coverage to disadvantaged Kenyans, many of whom choose to work as domestics in other countries in the face of increasing human rights violations.
The UNEP-PSI meeting was held to explore what insurers should do to ensure that their business models are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
It was unclear if the state intends to pour funds into the system to ensure that the targeted individuals pay heavily subsidized rates.
The proposed cover coincides with an increase in the number of Kenyans traveling to other countries in search of work.
Between March 2019 and January 2020, 29,448 Kenyan migrant workers were approved to work as homecare managers in Saudi Arabia.
