Personal Insurance

Domestic Worker WIBA Compliance Cover

The cover Kenyan law requires every household employer to hold for their househelp, nanny, gardener, driver, or guard. WIBA insurance against work injury, from about KSh 1,500 per worker per year, bound within 48 hours.

Legally required coverFrom KSh 1,500/worker/yrBound in 48 hoursWhatsApp quote
Domestic Worker WIBA Compliance Cover
Required by law
WIBA Act
From KSh 1.5k
Per Worker / Year
0+
Years Experience
0+
Underwriter Partners
0%
Claims Paid 2024
0.0
Google Rating

from

KSh 1,500/year

If you employ a domestic worker in Kenya: a househelp, nanny, gardener, driver, cook, or guard: the Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA) legally requires you to insure them against work-related injury, illness, or death, even if you employ just one person. Compliant cover starts from about KSh 1,500 per worker per year and pays the worker's medical bills, wage replacement while they recover, and a lump sum (to them or their dependants) for permanent disability or death, while shielding you from personal liability and prosecution. Cover can be bound within 48 hours on WhatsApp.

  • Legally required for any household employing domestic staff, even one worker
  • From KSh 1,500/worker/year for statutory WIBA cover
  • Pays worker medical costs, wage replacement and disability/death benefits
  • Shields you from personal liability and DOSHS prosecution
  • Covers househelp, nanny, gardener, driver, cook and guard
  • Bound within 48 hours: quote and pay on WhatsApp

Most Kenyan households do not realise that employing a domestic worker creates a legal duty to insure them. Under the Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA), every employer, including a private household with a single househelp, nanny, gardener, driver, or guard: must hold cover for work-related injury, illness, and death. There is no small-employer exemption: one worker triggers the obligation, and the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS) has been enforcing household compliance more actively in recent years.

The good news is that compliance is cheap. Domestic worker WIBA cover starts from about KSh 1,500 per worker per year and can be bound within 48 hours of application: quote, pay, and confirm entirely on WhatsApp. The policy pays the worker's accident medical bills, replaces wages while they recover, and pays a lump sum for permanent disability or death, with compensation to dependants. Just as importantly, it stands between you and an uncapped personal liability: an uninsured household is personally responsible for the full cost of a serious injury, plus potential prosecution.

What It Covers

  • Medical expenses for work-related injuries and occupational illness

  • Temporary disability benefit: wage replacement while the worker recovers

  • Permanent disability lump sum, calibrated to the WIBA scale and earnings

  • Compensation to dependants on work-related death

  • Funeral expenses on death in the course of work

  • Legal defence costs for claims brought against you as the employer

  • Optional common-law / Employers' Liability extension for negligence claims

  • One policy can cover multiple workers in the same household

Who It's For

  • Households employing a househelp, nanny, or cook

  • Households with a gardener, driver, or pool attendant

  • Households with a directly-hired day or night guard (not via a security firm)

  • Landlords and apartment owners with directly-contracted cleaners

  • Any household employing domestic help: full-time, part-time, or casual

Types We Cover

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

Single Worker

Statutory WIBA cover for one named domestic employee. The cheapest entry point, from about KSh 1,500/year. The right start for a household formalising one long-standing househelp or gardener.

Household (Multiple Workers)

One policy covering several workers: for example a nanny, gardener, and guard, at a per-worker rate. Simpler to manage than separate policies and the usual choice for larger households.

WIBA + Employers' Liability

Adds common-law cover for negligence claims that go beyond the WIBA scheduled benefits. Important where a serious injury could lead to a large damages award against you personally. Strongly recommended.

Real-World Scenarios

Nanny scalded in the kitchen

A nanny suffers serious burns while cooking and needs two weeks of treatment. The policy pays her medical bills in full and a wage-replacement benefit while she recovers, at no out-of-pocket cost to the household, and in full compliance with WIBA. Without cover, the family would pay every shilling and still be exposed to a claim.

Gardener falls from a ladder

A directly-employed gardener falls while trimming a tree and is left with a lasting back injury. WIBA pays the medical costs and a permanent-disability lump sum scaled to his earnings; the Employers' Liability extension defends the household if he brings a negligence claim over unsafe working conditions.

Proof of compliance requested

A household is asked to show proof of WIBA cover for its staff. Because the policy was bound when the worker was hired, the certificate is produced immediately, avoiding the penalties, and the personal liability, that fall on non-compliant employers.

Optional Benefits & Add-ons

Common law / Employers' Liability extension

Personal accident top-up for the worker

Medical extension above the WIBA scheduled limit

Last expense / funeral cover for the worker

Multiple-worker household block cover

Repatriation costs for non-Kenyan workers

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WIBA cover for domestic workers a legal requirement in Kenya?
Yes. The Work Injury Benefits Act requires every employer to insure employees against work-related injury, illness, and death, and there is no exemption for households or for small numbers of staff. Employing a single househelp, nanny, gardener, or guard makes you an employer under the Act, with the legal duty to hold cover.
How much does domestic worker WIBA insurance cost?
Compliant cover starts from about KSh 1,500 per worker per year for basic statutory WIBA, rising with the worker's earnings, duties, and any added Employers' Liability extension. It is one of the cheapest legally-required insurances in Kenya. Far less than the cost of a single uninsured injury. All figures here are starting points; we confirm your exact premium on WhatsApp.
Which domestic workers must be covered?
Anyone you employ directly in or around the home: househelps, nannies, cooks, gardeners, drivers, pool attendants, and guards. It applies whether they are full-time, part-time, or casual. A once-a-week cleaner is still an employee under the Act. The main exception is a guard supplied by a security firm, where the firm should carry the WIBA.
What happens if I don't have WIBA cover for my househelp?
You remain personally and fully liable for the cost of any work-related injury, illness, or death, medical bills, compensation, and legal costs, with no cap, and you can be prosecuted for non-compliance. Given cover starts from around KSh 1,500 a year, the gap between insured and uninsured is one of the largest risk-to-cost mismatches in personal insurance.
How is this different from your standard domestic workers insurance?
It is the same statutory WIBA protection, presented as a straightforward compliance product for household employers who simply need to meet the law quickly and cheaply. Our broader domestic workers page covers the same WIBA base with additional options. Personal-accident top-ups and higher medical limits, which is why its typical figure is higher. We recommend the right level for your household.
How quickly can cover start, and what do I need?
Cover can usually be bound within 48 hours of application. We need the worker's name and role, their monthly wage, and your location. That is enough to issue the certificate. The whole process, including payment, runs on WhatsApp.

Quotes from Kenya's leading underwriters

First Assurance
CIC General
Jubilee Allianz
Heritage Insurance
Britam
ICEA Lion
Madison Insurance
Monarch

Ready to get covered?

Our advisors will compare quotes and find the best fit for you, at no extra cost.

Get WIBA Cover for My Staff
Footer banner
Vike Insurance

Your trusted insurance advisor with 30+ years of experience.

Nairobi HQ

2nd Floor, Krishna Centre

Woodvale Grove, Westlands

Nairobi, Kenya

Nakuru Office

Next to Taidy's Suites

Oginga Odinga Ave., Biashara

Nakuru, Kenya

IRA Kenya

IRA Regulated

Insurance Regulatory Authority

M-Pesa payments coming soon

M-Pesa payments coming soon

© 2026Vike Insurance Brokers. All rights reserved.  Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Privacy settings