The Association of the Insurance Brokers of Kenya (AIBK) has urged the national government and judiciary to establish insurance courts to help solve disputes between clients and insurance companies.
AIBK national chair Anthony Mwangi said the courts will help in the quick resolution of conflicts, facilitate the arbitration process and get claims.
"It would be better if we have a specific department in courts to deal with insurance cases just like we have land and criminal courts," he said.
Mwangi said currently, the disputes arising between insurance firms and their clients take a long time in court because of the case backlog.
He said it has also prevented them from initiating arbitration between players before the matters are taken to court.
Mwangi said the specialised insurance courts would promote trust, justice and fair business as cases would be solved on time.
He said AIBK and other partners have already started the processes of engaging respective authorities to have the insurance courts expedite claims settlement.
The chairman made the remarks in an interview during the 17th annual AIBK conference at Diamond Leisure Beach and Golf Resort in Diani Kwale County.
This year's conference is themed 'The Mastery of Resilience for Sustainable Growth' where more than 550 delegates graced the occasion.
Mwangi urged the insurance players to embrace technology to improve service delivery and the sector.
He said the working environment has changed and it is inevitable for insurance companies and brokers to adopt innovations and the digital world.
Mwangi said it is time for the industry to do things differently to attract clients and meet the demands of the technology-changing world.
"We can't be using the same policies and mechanisms. We need to reflect and plan for the future as far as technology is concerned," he said.
He added that insurance companies have no choice but to change the way they operate to take into account the new service delivery at the epicentre of the disturbed business environment to master resilience and sustainability.
Mwangi said people should start thinking of how to reach their consumers conveniently by the use of electronic gadgets such as smartphones and computers to increase insurance consumption and enhance customer experience because their expectations are also changing.
He said turning to and speeding up the industry's digitisation process will enable the sector to cope with the new realities occasioned by various emerging business challenges across the globe.
Mwangi said digital innovation is the only way for insurance brokers to keep up with their consumers' expectations.
He said digital innovation is no longer about competition but a business necessity.
The chair also called for the empowerment of the insurance brokers.
He said since they are the intermediaries between the insurance companies and clients, they need to be capacity-built to enhance strong customer relationships and trust with the consumers.
Mwangi said when the brokers mess up in the initial stage it affects the entire business process.
AIBK Chief Executive Eliud Adiedo added that the sector has made milestone achievements in embracing technology.
He said people have moved from using insurance cards to smartphones by just the use of digital credentials.
Adiedo noted that the insurance companies and brokers in partnership with the regulators have managed to enhance trust with the clients.
He said the untrustworthiness which has been a challenge for many years is reducing because associations such as AIBK have been at the frontline in restructuring the sector by addressing the shortcomings.
Adiedo said the industry has embraced the changing legislative policies and is working hard to enhance compliance in terms of paying taxes and aligning its services with the new laws.
