The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) has issued a notice to importers ahead of the rollout of a mandatory digital marine cargo insurance system set to take effect from July 1.
In a notice on Friday, May 22, the authority reminded importers that the law requires all marine cargo insurance covers for imports to be placed with insurers licensed in Kenya.
According to IRA, Section 16A of the Marine Insurance Act CAP 390 Laws of Kenya provides that any person with an insurable interest in marine cargo must obtain Marine Cargo Insurance cover from an insurer licensed under the Insurance Act CAP 487 Laws of Kenya.
The authority also cited Section 20(4) of the Insurance Act CAP 487, which states that it is an offence for any person to directly or indirectly place Kenya business with an insurer not licensed under the Insurance Act without prior written approval from the Commissioner of Insurance.
"To ensure full compliance with the indicated legal provisions, the National Treasury guided the Authority to work together with the Kenya Revenue Authority and Safaricom PLC to come up with a digital platform that will integrate directly into the Kenya Revenue Authority's Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS)," the notice read.
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IRA announced that the new platform is now complete and will become mandatory from July.
"The platform has now been developed, and the public is hereby notified that effective 1 July 2026, all importers shall be required to digitally place Marine Cargo Insurance cover for their imports from insurers licensed under the Insurance Act CAP 487 Laws of Kenya, prior to obtaining customs clearance," the notice added.
According to the regulator, the system will allow importers to process marine insurance certificates digitally through connected insurance portals.
"A Digital Marine Cargo Insurance Certificate request will be made through the insurers' or any other portals connected to the Insurance Regulatory Authority electronic platform and the eCitizen payment gateway," the notice further read.
IRA further explained how the digital approvals and payment confirmations will be linked directly to customs systems for verification before cargo clearance.
"The processed digital marine certificate and premium payment confirmation from the eCitizen payment gateway will be submitted electronically to the KRA Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICMS)," the notice concluded.
Elsewhere, IRA outlined the procedure for obtaining the digital marine cargo insurance cover.
Under the new framework, a Digital Marine Certificate will only be issued against an active Import Declaration Form (IDF).
Importers will be required to log into mobile or online portals operated by insurers, brokers, or agents and follow the provided instructions to digitize the Marine Cargo Insurance cover.
The portals will be integrated with the IRA electronic platform and the eCitizen payment gateway.
IRA said a detailed step-by-step guide on the process is available through IRA Kenya at https://www.ira.go.ke
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