Kenya's insurance industry has officially commenced the implementation of an industry-wide Customer Service Charter, marking a milestone in the sector's commitment to improving customer experience, building public trust and raising service standards across all insurance companies.

The Charter establishes a common baseline of customer service standards, outlining the minimum level of service every customer should confidently expect when interacting with an insurance company.

Trust remains one of the insurance industry’s greatest assets yet one of its biggest challenges. As an industry founded on the promise of protection, insurance can only earn and sustain public confidence through consistent, reliable, and customer-centred service at every touchpoint.

Recognising this, the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) embarked on developing a unified customer service framework that would provide a practical and measurable benchmark for service excellence across the industry.

The Charter was developed in collaboration with customer service champions drawn from AKI member companies and research firm Ipsos, ensuring that it reflects industry best practice while remaining practical, forward-looking, and responsive to evolving customer expectations. The Charter was ratified by AKI members during the Association's Annual General Meeting held in March this year.

Speaking during the CEO Forum that marked the official launch of the implementation phase, AKI Executive Director, Mr. Tom Gichuhi, said that service excellence has the power to transform public perception and strengthen confidence in institutions.

"Looking back at the journey of some of Kenya’s leading organisations including - KRA, Safaricom, Equity Bank, Huduma Kenya and Kenya Power- they have demonstrated that when service standards are clearly defined, measured and embedded in organisational culture, public perception can change. The insurance industry has an opportunity to take a similar journey by placing customer experience at the centre of everything we do," said Mr. Gichuhi.

The Customer Service Charter aligns with the Insurance Regulatory Authority's Treating Customers Fairly Guidelines and other applicable regulatory requirements, reinforcing the industry's commitment to delivering fair, transparent and customer-focused services.

The Charter is anchored on five service pillars that seek to make every customer interaction more, accessible, transparent, efficient, fair and responsive.

To ensure accountability and measure progress, the industry will conduct an independent customer satisfaction survey in the fourth quarter of the year to assess the impact of the Charter and identify areas for continuous improvement.

During the CEO Forum, insurance industry leaders were challenged to champion the implementation of the Charter within their organisations by making customer excellence a boardroom priority. CEOs were urged to embed the service standards into organisational culture, strengthen accountability, and lead the transformation needed to deliver consistently positive customer experiences.

The implementation of the Insurance Industry Customer Service Charter represents a collective commitment by Kenya's insurers to enhance customer confidence, strengthen industry reputation, and create a more customer-centric insurance sector.