Life Cover Compared
The four main types of life & savings cover in Kenya — what each one covers, what it typically costs a month, and which is right for your family or business.
In short: choose Term Life for the cheapest way to protect your family for a set period; Whole Life if you want cover that never expires plus a savings pot; an Education Plan to save for school or university fees with cover built in; and Group Life if you are an employer covering staff. Most Kenyan families start with affordable term cover and add savings or whole-life later.
| Feature | Term Life Cheapest protection | Whole Life Lifelong + savings | Group Life Employer-provided | Education Plan Save for fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax-free lump sum to beneficiaries on death | ||||
| Cover lasts your whole life (never expires) | ||||
| Builds cash value / savings | ||||
| Guaranteed maturity payout | Endowment | |||
| Savings goal still funded if you die mid-term | ||||
| Who pays the premium | You | You | Employer | You |
| Typical monthly cost | From ~KSh 1,000 | From ~KSh 2,500 | Employer-paid | From ~KSh 3,000 |
| Medical underwriting | Often just a questionnaire | Questionnaire / basic medical | Free-cover limit — no medicals | Usually a questionnaire |
| Minimum to start | 1 life | 1 life | 5+ employees | 1 saver |
| Best for | Affordable family protection | Lifelong cover + forced savings | Employers covering staff | Saving for school & university fees |
| View Term Life → | View Whole Life → | View Group Life → | View Education Plan → |
Monthly figures are illustrative placeholders; life premiums vary heavily by age, health, sum assured, and smoker status. We send firm, age-rated quotes on request.
You want the most cover for the lowest premium, for a set period — for example while you have young children, a mortgage, or a business loan.
Term Life →You want cover that never expires and a cash value you can borrow against, and you are comfortable paying more for that certainty.
Whole Life →Your priority is saving for a child's school or university fees, with the savings protected if you die before the fees are due.
Education Plan →You are an employer who wants to give staff a high-impact life-cover benefit (from about 5 employees), paid by the company.
Group Life →Term life covers you for a fixed period (e.g. 10 or 20 years) and pays out only if you die during that term — it is the cheapest cover per shilling but has no cash value. Whole life lasts your entire lifetime, always pays out eventually, and builds a cash value you can borrow against — but it costs considerably more for the same sum assured. Term suits pure protection on a budget; whole life suits lifelong cover plus forced savings.
Term life is the cheapest, because it is pure protection with no savings element — cover can start from around KSh 1,000 a month for a healthy young adult. Whole life and education savings plans cost more because part of every premium funds a cash value or maturity benefit.
It depends on the type and on your age, health, and smoker status. As an illustration: term life from about KSh 1,000/month, whole life from about KSh 2,500/month, and education savings plans from about KSh 3,000/month. Group life is paid by the employer. These are illustrative starting points — we send firm, age-rated quotes on request.
Group life assurance is life cover an employer takes out on all its staff, paying a multiple of salary (typically 1–5×) to an employee's beneficiaries on death. The employer pays the premium (tax-deductible), and there are usually no individual medicals up to a free-cover limit. It suits employers from about 5 employees who want a high-impact staff benefit.
On pure return, money-market funds or Sacco savings often do better. What an education plan adds is protection: if the contributing parent dies or is permanently disabled, premiums are waived and the fund still matures in full for the child. For fees you cannot afford to miss, that protection is the point.
Yes. There is no legal limit, and many people layer policies — for example affordable term cover for family protection, plus an education plan for school fees, plus any group cover from work. We help structure the right mix so you are neither over- nor under-insured.
Under current Kenyan tax law, life assurance lump sums paid to nominated beneficiaries are generally not subject to income tax. We do not give tax advice — confirm your specific situation with a tax adviser.
Start with the need: pure family protection on a budget → term life; lifelong cover and savings → whole life; saving for a child's fees → education plan; covering employees → group life. Most families begin with affordable term cover (e.g. a KSh 1M policy) and add savings or whole-life cover later. Tell us your situation on WhatsApp and we'll recommend the right mix.
Tell us about your family, budget, and goals and we'll recommend the right mix and compare quotes from Kenya's leading life insurers.

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Nairobi, Kenya
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Nakuru, Kenya
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