The Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has exposed serious problems in the Sh5 billion insurance cover meant for officers in the National Police Service and Kenya Prisons Service. The insurance, which covers Group Life, Work Injury Benefits, and Group Personal Accident, was supposed to protect 141,961 officers until March 2024.
However, a report from the Auditor General reveals major failures in its execution, with many officers and their families being denied benefits that should have been paid as per the contract.
One of the most alarming findings is that 21 claims amounting to Sh43.5 million, meant for the next of kin of deceased officers, remain unpaid. According to the contract, these payments should have been made within five days of notification.
Despite this clear requirement, the money has not been released, leaving families struggling to get what they are owed. The report also points out that 262 injury claims have not been settled, raising questions about whether the insurance company is fulfilling its obligations or if there is deeper corruption involved in the management of these funds.
The Group Life Benefits scheme was supposed to provide financial relief to the families of fallen officers. Under this agreement, the next of kin of deceased officers should receive a lump sum equal to five years of the officer’s annual basic salary.
However, by November 2024, these payments had not been processed. The delay suggests either mismanagement or deliberate efforts to withhold funds that should have been distributed to deserving families.
This scandal is not the only financial controversy that has come to light in recent days. Earlier this week, Auditor General Gathungu also exposed the SHA system saga, which involves over Ksh100 billion in questionable transactions.
She revealed that the system was acquired through corrupt means, yet the government continues to defend it. President William Ruto, instead of addressing the corruption concerns, has dismissed them by arguing that NHIF was in a worse state than the SHA system.
This defense does little to reassure Kenyans, as it does not justify the alleged corruption but rather shifts blame to past inefficiencies.
These revelations highlight a growing trend of mismanagement in critical sectors affecting public servants. If officers tasked with maintaining security cannot rely on their insurance benefits, it raises serious concerns about how other government services are being handled.
The failure to pay insurance claims as agreed in the contract suggests a lack of accountability in the institutions responsible for overseeing these funds. The fact that even death benefits are being delayed shows the extent of negligence, and it is the families of officers who suffer most from these failures.The government has a duty to ensure that public funds are used for their intended purposes.
The ongoing issues with the insurance cover for security officers and the massive irregularities in the SHA system prove that Kenya still struggles with financial accountability. Unless urgent action is taken, such problems will continue to undermine public confidence in government institutions.
The officers affected by the insurance scandal deserve justice, and those responsible for the mismanagement must be held accountable. If nothing is done, these financial scandals will only worsen, further burdening hardworking Kenyans who rely on the government to act in their best interest.
