Kenya 4 November 2025 - In a landmark move for Kenya’s aviation and insurance sectors, Britam General Insurance has unveiled the country’s first specialised policy to protect pilots and trainee aviators in the event that their licence is grounded due to illness or injury. The product, known as the Pilot Loss of Licence (LoL) Cover, signals a shift toward niche insurance solutions in an expanding and high-risk market.“A pilot’s career is a significant investment, and the loss of their licence, even temporarily, can have serious financial consequences,” said James Mbithi, CEO of Britam General Insurance.
What’s Happening
The LoL cover is available to both professional and trainee pilots registered with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and aged under 65. The policy comes in two main variants:
1. Temporary Cover: If a pilot is grounded for up to 12 months due to illness or injury, the policy pays out monthly benefits (2% of the insured sum for physical illness/injury; 0.5% for psychological illness).
2. Permanent Cover: For pilots permanently unable to fly, the policy pays 100% of the insured amount for bodily injury, and 25% for psychological conditions. The insured sum is capped at five times the pilot’s annual earnings up to retirement age. The policy covers incidents both on and off duty, including sports injuries, but excludes cases of negligence, criminal acts, pre-existing undeclared conditions, war and terrorism.
The timing is significant. The number of Kenyan pilots holding transport, commercial and student licences has grown substantially, commercial licences alone rose 16.8% to 2,159 in 2024, making specialised protections increasingly relevant.
Why This Matters
The aviation profession is unique: significant investment, strict medical standards, and both physical and mental risk. Until now, many pilots faced licence-loss risks without targeted protection. By offering a tailored policy, Britam addresses a gap in the market, one that connects income protection, career risk and professional liability.
For the insurance industry, this product reflects a broader shift: insurers are moving beyond standard covers (motor, property) to professional risk products that mirror evolving occupations and risks in Kenya’s economy. This signals maturity in the market and opens avenues for innovative insurance solutions.
For pilots and aviation trainees, the cover offers much-needed peace of mind: training a pilot costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and losing the licence due to unforeseeable risk threatens income, loan repayments and career trajectory. This policy converts that risk into financial protection.
What’s Next
Several questions now come into focus. Will other professional covers follow, e.g., for air-traffic controllers, cabin crew, drone operators? How will the premiums be priced, especially as aviation is inherently risky? Can the policy scale across East Africa, given shared aviation standards under the East African Community (EAC) region?
For Britam, execution and adoption will matter. Uptake among pilots is the first benchmark, followed by claims experience, premium adequacy and how the product is marketed in training schools and airlines. The insurer may also face challenge in balancing affordability and risk.
With Kenya’s aviation sector projected to grow, and as training schools and new airlines emerge, such specialised policies may become standard. As the industry evolves, so too do its risks, and insurers who anticipate the change may gain first-mover advantage.
