More than 1,500 police and prison officers who died or were maimed in the line of duty are yet to be compensated by Pioneer Assurance Company.
Documents tabled before Parliament indicate that 1,542 claims of the officers were yet to be settled by the firm even as the Senate plans to launch investigations into the matter.
Out of the 1,542 claims, 666 were indicated as death and 876 as disability. Of the officers who died while in the line of duty, 354 were regular police, 204 were Administration police, 93 prison officers and 14 officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Further, the figure of 876 disabled officers included 363 regular police officers, 277 Administration police, 219 prison officers, and 17 officers from the DCI.
These figures were confirmed by a letter dated February 21 from Pioneer Assurance Company Managing Director and Principal Officer David Ronoh, to Bernice Lemedeket who was the Principal Administrative Secretary and accounting officer National Police Service (NPS) at the time.
"Pioneer Assurance reiterates its commitment to settle all valid claims expeditiously. Of the 761 fully documented claims, we shall continue paying on a weekly basis and share the report with the human resource management director as has been the case," reads the letter in part.
Mr Ronoh noted that 322 claims were being processed while 287 claims were yet to be assessed due to missing documentation.
He said at least 170 group life claims were awaiting claim documents or clarifications from the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
The letter is copied to Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, Kenya Prisons Service Commissioner General Brigadier (Rtd) John Warioba, and Correctional Services Principal Secretary Mary Muriuki as well as Godfrey Kiptum, the Commissioner of Insurance.
At the same time, Ms Lemedeket had on February 13 written to the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u requesting for funding. The letter revealed that the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) had contracted Pioneer Assurance Company to offer medical cover and group life cover for police and prison officers for the contract period 2021 and 2022.
The insurance cover included Work Injury Benefit Act (Wiba), Group Life Cover, Group Personal Accident (GPA) and Last Expense Cover.
Lemedeket revealed that 1,014 Group Life claims worth Sh615.2 million and 3,070 Wiba and GPA claims worth Sh1.1 billion were forwarded to NHIF for processing. In addition, 359 claims worth Sh306 million for Group Life cover and 2,773 Wiba and GPA claims worth Sh941.7 million had been paid.
