Drive Past Curfew Hours at Your Own Peril . Insurers Warn
Association of Kenya Professional Insurance Agents (AKPIA) has warned drivers against driving past curfew hours as the insured will not be compensated.
Anne Mwangi 
The Association of Kenya Professional Insurance Agents (AKPIA) has warned all insured against driving past curfew hours as they will not settle claims out of incidents that occur during hours the government has barred movement. They also added that if the insured is not among the listed essential service providers they will incur their own cost when recovering their damages.
“Driving past curfew hours without essential services authorization or valid emergency reasons could render your motor insurance claim invalid. Please AVOID DRIVING PAST 8:00 PM/Curfew Hours and adhere to all other GOK/ MOH COVID-19 guidelines,” AKPIA stated on Sunday.
This public notice set the ground for controversies between insurance service providers and the insured against how claims resulting from incidents occurring during curfew hours will be handled, how the insurers define “emergency reasons” and what insurance contracts state.
The public is arguing that curfew hours can never supersede the terms of the contracts. However, the Association has asked the insured to confirm with their companies/agents/brokers they have taken cover with.
“This is a breach of contract. There is nowhere in the policy that the policyholder is advised to drive a car during certain times. A vehicle is insured inside and outside the curfew hours. Unless the Insurer refunds premiums and states that the car is insured excluding curfew hours,” argued Kaluki Kyallo in response to the notice shared by the association on its Twitter handle.
Others followed asking the association’s move and whether the insurers are also ready to refund their client's premiums covering for the curfew hours and amend contracts with their clients.
In response to the notice by AKPIA, the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) on Monday, tweeted that they were reviewing the matter in liaison with the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) to agree on the matter.
AKI is the most powerful and popular association in the insurance industry with 51 members across the country, and its decisions affect more players in the sector. On the contrary, AKPIA is a membership-based association that represents the agency force in the Kenyan insurance industry, bridging consumers, the government, the underwriters, and other stakeholders in the industry.
