Kenya a high risk for insurers

A bout four years ago, when the level of insecurity was still not as bad as it is today, a homeowner in one of Nairobi’s upmarket neighbourhoods shared with me how costly it was for the residents of his neighbourhood to ensure they were secure.

He said he was part of a neighbourhood association, which his wife founded in the 1980s. Each month, each household paid an agreed amount, which went into paying the private security company they had hired to ensure their security.

The security company employed about four guards to man a 1.5-kilometre road leading to the homes in the neighbourhood. Access to that road was controlled, with no stranger allowed to use it without permission.

Other than that, each household had its own security arrangement that included installing alarm system, employing own security guards and having a dog or two.

The man, who was living in a well-guarded stand-alone house with his wife (both of them were retirees), said they had no choice but to invest in security.

“For us, we look at having good security as a prudent investment because it must just determine how long we live,” said the man, a Briton who had lived in Kenya for over two decades.

His story shows that the insecurity that has dogged Kenya since last year can indeed be fixed. But it comes at a high price.

That is why you have got to pity the average Kenyan who only depends on the government for his security.

Of late, there have been reports of people moving out of some areas because of soaring insecurity. It started with Eastleigh in Nairobi and then some parts of Eldoret. Lately, Kitengela has hit headlines as one of the places where tenants are moving out because of insecurity.

As a result, property investors have been incurring losses as tenants flee area perceived to be risky.

Indeed, a new report has rated Kenya among African countries with the highest risk for insurers because of insecurity.

The US-based rating agency A M Best, in its latest insurance report published last month, has put Kenya alongside Egypt, Nigeria and Libya, in tier five (CRT-5) of country rating — the lowest score reserved for countries with massive risks for investors.

The rating is based on Kenya’s economic, political and financial system risks that are linked to factors such as increased terrorist attacks, widespread corruption and money laundering.

rating

When we talk about a country’s rating, it might sound like we are talking about things that are removed from reality, but they affect us at an individual level.

Security is a basic requirement that allows people to have peace of mind as they go about their business.

When people are forced to move out of a place because of insecurity, they won’t have the peace of mind to go about their daily businesses, thus reducing their productivity. More so, they are not assured they will be secure in the new places they are moving to.

It is encouraging that the government is trying to do what it can to fix security problems. However, security should top the government’s list of priorities because without a secure environment, people will achieve very little in their endeavours and the economy inevitably suffers as a result.