6 Awesome Benefits of WIBA Insurance in Kenya

September 8, 2022 BUSINESS INSURANCE

Work injury benefit act insurance (WIBA insurance in Kenya) provides insurance coverage to employees who have suffered an injury or illness during the course of their employment. The scheme is mandatory for all employers in Kenya. This has been made possible by the WIBA Act of 2007.

WIBA insurance is provided for insurance companies in Kenya that have been approved by IRA and these insurance companies need to be approved by the Ministry of Fiance. The expenses cover expenses incurred by the employee due to injury or occupational illness such as:

1. Temporal accidental bodily injury disablement
2. Permanent bodily injury disablement or death
3. Medical expenses
4. Funeral expenses
5. Occupational illness

The Work Injury Benefit Act (WIBA) provides coverage for employees who have suffered an injury or illness during the course of their employment.

Work injury compensation benefits and claim process in Kenya

In this section, we shall be looking at the WIBA Insurance Kenya benefit summary and also the WIBA claim procedure.

Core WIBA Insurance Benefits in Kenya

The summary of the WIBA insurance cover includes 5 major coverages:

Death Benefit
Compensates a worker’s dependents when a job-related accident or occupational illness proves fatal. The cover applies only if the employee was on duty or performing assigned tasks at the time of the incident.

Permanent Total Disability (PTD) Compensation
Provides a lump-sum payout, based on WIBA’s statutory schedule, when an injury or disease leaves the employee permanently unable to work. This benefit can reach up to 96 months of the worker’s earnings.

Temporary or Partial Disability Benefit
Pays weekly compensation for injuries or illnesses that keep the employee off the job for more than three consecutive days but are expected to improve with treatment and retraining. Amounts follow WIBA’s continental scale until full capacity is restored.

Medical Expenses Cover
Mandates that employers meet all “reasonable” medical costs, first aid, hospital care, medication, physiotherapy, and related bills, directly linked to the workplace accident or occupational disease.

Funeral Expense Allowance
Requires the employer to pay a reasonable funeral grant, as defined in WIBA policy terms, when a covered employee dies from a work injury or occupational illness.

Optimise your compliance: A well-structured WIBA policy shields both your business and employees from the financial strain of workplace injuries.

The WIBA Insurance summary of benefits is shown below and also shows how are WIBA Claims’ compensation is calculated.

A more detailed explanation of the same:

WIBA insurance application form

The WIBA application form is an intensive form that will require the following information to be provided:

1. Name and address of the business
2. Nature of business/industry it operates in
3. If there is any law/regulation governing the conduct or maintenance of premises, apply it to your premises
4. If there is any machinery operated on the business premises
5. Any chemicals, acids, or explosives handled by the business
6. Previous WIBA policies
7. Claim history
8. Schedule of the number of employees, position held, nature of the job held, and annual incomes of each employee

WIBA insurance policy

Upon successful application and acceptance of the application form, a WIBA certificate is issued, and it includes:

1. Name and address of the business
2. Insurance period
3. Premiums paid/payable
4. Estimated overall annual salaries/ earnings
5. Benefits/ insurance coverage
6. Limits of compensation per employee
7. A list of insurance warranties, clauses, and conditions applicable to the policy.

WIBA claim procedure

WIBA Claim documentation includes:

1. Duly filled claim form
2. Filled Dosh forms 1 and 2
3. Signed original medical bills
4. Signed original medical reports from authorised medical personnel
5. Death certificate, burial permit copy in the event of a death claim
6. Sick-off sheet signed by the employer
7. Copy of the national identity card of the person claiming
8. An appointment letter from the employer by the employee.
9. Report by the insured from the health and safety committee of the employer.

Steps to filling a WIBA Insurance claim include:

1. Fatal work-related accidents need to be reported to the director of OSHA within 24 hours, either in writing or in person
2. Non-fatal accidents can be reported within 7 days
3. The employer and attending doctor fill in the Dosh 1 and Dosh 2 form,s respectively.
4. Then the employer, together with the labor office, will fill in the claim form
5. The employer will need to get a written statement from the injured employee, a supervisor, and an eyewitness
6. All these are to be submitted to the insurance company.
7. If everything checks out and all documents submitted are satisfactory, the WIBA Act dictates that the claim be settled within 90 days.

Give your employees and yourself peace of mind by discussing with us your WIBA insurance and ensure that you are comprehensively covered and you are compliant.

Frequently Asked Questions