WIBA / Employers' Liability Insurance
Legally required cover under the Work Injury Benefits Act for employee injury, disease, or death arising in the course of employment.
WIBA (Work Injury Benefits Act) insurance is legally required for every Kenyan employer, including households with a single domestic worker. It pays the statutory benefits for work-related injury, disease, or death: medical expenses, temporary and permanent disability lump sums, and compensation to dependants. Premiums are rated on annual payroll and occupational class and quoted individually. Most employers take it bundled with Employers' Liability (common law). Vike places WIBA for everyone from sole traders to 5,000-staff groups and arranges it on WhatsApp.
- Rated on payroll & trade: roughly 0.7% for an office, around 1% for manufacturing
- Legally required for every employer: no staff-number minimum
- Medical, disability lump sums, death & dependant benefits
- Employers' Liability (common law) usually adds 25–40% of the WIBA premium, depending on the limits chosen
- Domestic WIBA is included within home insurance, not sold standalone
Rates shown are typical market rates, given as a guide only. Your actual premium is set by the insurer after underwriting and depends on your risk, sum insured, claims history, and security; government levies are added.
Reviewed by Lawrence, Broking Manager, Vike Insurance
The Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA), 2007, makes it compulsory for every Kenyan employer to insure against their employees' work-related injury, disease, or death. The benefits are scheduled in law: funeral expenses, lump sums for permanent disability calibrated to earnings, medical costs, and the employer is strictly liable regardless of fault. Without WIBA in force, the employer is personally liable, and DOSHS (Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services) can stop work and prosecute.
Most insurers offer WIBA bundled with Employers' Liability (Common Law): which covers claims brought outside the WIBA schedule, where an employee or their family alleges negligence and sues for damages. The combination is now market standard and significantly cheaper than either policy alone. Vike places WIBA for businesses from sole traders with a single domestic worker to industrial groups with 5,000+ employees.
What It Covers
Medical expenses for treatment of work-related injuries and diseases
Temporary total disability benefits: wage replacement while recovering
Permanent disability lump sums calibrated to earnings and the WIBA scale
Funeral expenses on work-related death
Compensation to dependants on work-related death
Defence costs for claims made against the employer
Common law / Employers' Liability for negligence claims beyond the WIBA schedule
Cover for casual, contract, and field-based workers (subject to declaration)
Who It's For
Every Kenyan employer: legally required, no exceptions
Manufacturers, factories, construction sites, and farms (high-risk)
Offices, schools, NGOs, and professional services (lower-risk but still required)
Households employing domestic workers, gardeners, or guards
Logistics and transport companies for drivers and crew
Types We Cover
Each profile is rated and underwritten differently. Talk to us so we can match your specific situation.
WIBA Only
Statutory cover under the Work Injury Benefits Act. Pays the scheduled benefits to injured workers or their families. The legal minimum.
WIBA Plus Employers' Liability
WIBA plus common law / liability cover for negligence claims that fall outside the WIBA schedule (typically larger awards for serious injury). Market standard and our default recommendation.
Group Personal Accident (GPA) Top-Up
Adds 24-hour cover (including off-work accidents) and lump-sum payouts above the WIBA schedule. Common executive and benefits enhancement. Often pairs with Group Life.
Domestic WIBA
For a household employing domestic workers, gardeners, or guards, WIBA is included as a section within your home insurance policy, not sold as a stand-alone product here. See our Domestic Workers Insurance page. Many households are non-compliant.
Real-World Scenarios
Factory worker loses a finger in machinery
Medical treatment is paid by the insurer. WIBA permanent partial disability lump sum (calculated as a percentage of annual earnings × disability factor for that body part) is paid to the worker. If the worker also sues for negligence beyond the schedule, Employers' Liability defends and indemnifies.
Driver killed in a road accident
Funeral expenses paid up to the WIBA limit. Compensation to dependants based on the deceased's earnings and the statutory formula. Critical that the driver was on a work trip. Disputes over 'course of employment' arise where commuting or off-duty travel is involved.
Domestic worker injured in a fall at home
A domestic WIBA section, added to the household's home insurance policy, handles medical, temporary disability wage replacement, and any permanent disability lump sum. Without it, the household is personally liable and the worker may bring a claim under common law.
Optional Benefits & Add-ons
Employers' Liability (common law). Almost always taken with WIBA
Group Personal Accident: 24-hour cover above the WIBA schedule
Group Life: lump-sum payout on any-cause death
Last Expense rider for employees and immediate family
Cover for contractors and casual workers on a declared basis
Medical extension to remove the WIBA medical limit cap
Availability varies by underwriter. Our advisors will confirm what is available on your chosen policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WIBA mandatory even for one employee?
How are premiums calculated?
What is the difference between WIBA and Group Personal Accident?
Does WIBA cover diseases and not just accidents?
What happens if I don't have WIBA and an employee is injured?
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