National Police Service (NPS) officers and the Kenya Prisons Services officers are set to enjoy an enhanced group life insurance starting January.
This was after the signing of a contract with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) for the provision of the services.
The agreement is a culmination of lengthy deliberations and consultations among the key stakeholders, who settled on the intra-government contracting model to address the escalating claims of unpaid life insurance and annuity benefits to service members or their designated beneficiaries.
On top of the comprehensive group life cover, the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will also offer the officers improved work injury benefits, meaning that besides the cover, all officers injured and killed in the line of duty will be compensated.
“It is a culmination of lengthy deliberations and consultations among the key stakeholders, who settled on the intra-government contracting model to address the escalating claims of unpaid life insurance and annuity benefits to service members or their designated beneficiaries,” Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho said.
The PS said this will be part of the government’s systematic efforts to institutionalize a welfare and protection program for the 131,816 officers who have to contend with life-changing situations through the course of their duties.
“We’ve had challenges in providing our officers with these services, and that is why we decided to engage NHIF to protect them just like the other civil servants,” he said.
“The entities were strictly guided by the existing public procurement procedures,” he added.
According to the PS, the ultimate goal is to harmonize the insurance policy benefits of the officers with those of other civil servants and tailor them to address the vulnerabilities of the surviving families of those who lose their lives in the line of duty.
NHIF Chief Executive Officer, Dr Peter Gathege, vouched for the progressive optimisation initiatives at the state-owned insurer, as he ensured timely payment of claims to the officers.
The agreement was signed yesterday at a function attended by the PS State Department for Correctional Services Zeinab Hussein, the Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai and the Commissioner for Kenya Prisons Service, Wycliffe Ogallo.