How is the premium calculated?

By age band of each employee and the chosen sum assured. Typical rates are KES 4–10 per KES 1,000 of cover per year, depending on age mix and occupation class. Insurers usually offer a guaranteed rate for the first policy year and review at renewal based on scheme claims.

Do employees need medicals?

Up to the scheme's 'free cover limit' (typically KES 2M–5M for SMEs and higher for larger schemes), no individual medicals are required. Above that, individual underwriting kicks in only for the excess sum assured.

Who nominates the beneficiaries?

Each employee nominates their own beneficiaries on the scheme's beneficiary form. HR maintains the records and can update them whenever an employee's family circumstances change. Vike provides a simple online portal for nominations.

What about employees who leave?

Cover ends on the last day of employment. Some schemes include a continuation option allowing leavers to convert to an individual policy without further underwriting, on payment of the individual rate.

Life & Savings Insurance

Group Life Assurance

Employer-provided life cover for staff — lump-sum payout on any-cause death, plus optional permanent disability cover.

Get a Group Life Quote Talk to an Advisor

From 10 employeesDeath + disability coverOptional critical illnessEasy payroll deductions

From 10

Employees

Death + PTD

Cover Combined

From 10

Employees

Death + PTD

Cover Combined

Years Experience

Underwriter Partners

Claims Paid 2024

0.0★

Google Rating

Group Life Assurance is the lump-sum life cover an employer takes out on the lives of all its employees. On death from any cause, the policy pays a multiple of annual salary (typically 1–5 times) to the employee's nominated beneficiaries. Premium is paid by the employer and tax-deductible as a business expense. It is the single highest-impact employee benefit relative to its cost — and increasingly the table stakes for attracting and retaining talent in white-collar sectors.

Vike structures Group Life schemes for businesses from 5 employees upward, often bundled with WIBA, Group Personal Accident, and the medical scheme under one renewal. We negotiate free cover limits (no medical underwriting up to defined sum assured), and we add critical illness or last expense riders where they genuinely add value rather than just commission.

What It Covers

Lump sum payable to nominated beneficiaries on any-cause death of an employee
Sum assured typically 1–5 times annual salary
Free cover limit — no medical underwriting up to a defined sum assured
Cover for all eligible employees with no individual selection
Continuous cover, including off-duty and weekends
Critical illness rider — accelerator paying on diagnosis of specified conditions
Total Permanent Disability (TPD) — payout on certified TPD
Last expense / funeral benefit for the employee and immediate family

Who It's For

Employers wanting to provide a basic family-protection benefit to staff
Companies competing for talent in banking, tech, and professional services
Saccos and NGOs providing benefits to members or field staff
Manufacturers and contractors with high-risk operations (paired with WIBA)
Family businesses formalising employee benefits

Types We Cover

Each profile is rated and underwritten differently. Talk to us so we can match your specific situation.

Flat-Sum Scheme

Every employee covered for the same flat sum assured (e.g. KES 1M each). Simplest administration. Common in smaller schemes and on the factory floor.

Salary-Multiple Scheme

Sum assured is a fixed multiple of annual salary (e.g. 3 × annual salary). Aligns benefit with earning capacity. The most common structure for office-based and professional schemes.

Banded Scheme

Different sum-assured multiples for different staff bands (e.g. 1× for junior, 3× for middle, 5× for executive). Mirrors banded medical schemes; cleanest administration for layered workforces.

Group Life + Critical Illness

Adds an accelerated benefit paying out on diagnosis of specified critical illness — typically heart attack, stroke, cancer, kidney failure, paralysis. The employee or their family receives funds for treatment and income replacement, not just on death.

Real-World Scenarios

Mid-level employee dies in a road accident

Sum assured of 3 × annual salary of KES 1.4M = KES 4.2M paid to the nominated spouse and children within 30 days of claim documentation. Funeral expenses advance (KES 100K–200K) released within 72 hours of death notification. The single biggest financial-impact benefit an employer can provide.

Senior executive diagnosed with cancer

Critical illness rider (typically 25–100% of sum assured, depending on scheme) pays out on diagnosis confirmation. The executive uses the funds for advanced treatment not fully covered by medical insurance, and continues to receive salary during recovery.

Renewing a scheme with growing headcount

A 60-person scheme grew to 95 employees through the year. Renewal premium is adjusted upward proportionally; new employees were automatically covered from their join date under the scheme's auto-inclusion clause. Mid-year additions did not require individual underwriting up to the free cover limit.

Optional Benefits & Add-ons

Critical illness rider

Total Permanent Disability (TPD)

Funeral expenses / last expense advance

Dependant cover for spouse and children

Accidental death and dismemberment

Continuation option for leavers

Availability varies by underwriter. Our advisors will confirm what is available on your chosen policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most insurers accept group life from 5 lives. Below that, individual policies for key staff may be more practical. Above 20 lives, free cover limits and experience-rated renewals typically become available.