Your Complete Insurance Checklist for Every Life Stage in Kenya

Life doesn't come with a manual.

But it does come with stages. And each one throws different risks at you.

At 24, you're worried about your phone getting snatched on a matatu. At 35, you're stressing about school fees. At 60, you're thinking about hospital bills that could wipe out your retirement savings in a single admission.

The problem? Most Kenyans buy insurance reactively. Something bad happens, then they scramble. Or worse — they buy the wrong cover at the wrong time and waste money for years.

This checklist fixes that. Every life stage. Every cover you need. No fluff.

Let's walk through it.

Table of Contents

• Stage 1: Fresh Graduate / Young Professional (22–27)
• Stage 2: Single & Earning Well (27–32)
• Stage 3: Newly Married / Young Couple (28–35)
• Stage 4: New Parents (30–40)
• Stage 5: Established Family (40–50)
• Stage 6: Empty Nesters (50–60)
• Stage 7: Retirement (60+)
• The Quick-Reference Checklist
• Final Word

Stage 1: Fresh Graduate / Young Professional (22–27)

You just landed your first job. Maybe you're earning KSh 30,000–80,000 a month. You feel invincible.

You're not.

Here's what you actually need:

✔️ NHIF / SHA contribution — It's mandatory, but make sure it's active. Many young professionals let it lapse and only discover this when they need it.

✔️ Personal accident cover — You're commuting daily, maybe on a boda-boda. A personal accident policy costs as little as KSh 3,000–5,000 per year and covers disability or death from accidents.

✔️ Basic medical top-up — If your employer provides medical insurance, great. If not, get an affordable outpatient plan. Hospital bills are the #1 financial shock for young Kenyans.

❌ Life insurance — Probably not yet. Unless someone depends on your income.

❌ Motor vehicle insurance — Only if you own a car.

👉 Key move: Start small. Even KSh 500/month towards insurance is better than zero. Read our insurance guide for young adults for a deeper breakdown.

Stage 2: Single & Earning Well (27–32)

You've got some career traction. Maybe earning KSh 100,000+. You've bought a car. You might be renting a nice place. Life is good.

But your exposure to risk just went up.

✔️ Comprehensive motor vehicle insurance — Third-party-only is gambling. One accident and you're paying for your own repairs out of pocket. Get comprehensive motor cover.

✔️ Enhanced medical insurance — Upgrade beyond NHIF. Look for a plan covering inpatient, outpatient, and dental. KSh 30,000–60,000/year gets you solid cover.

✔️ Personal accident cover — Keep this. Increase the sum assured as your income grows.

✔️ Contents insurance — That TV, laptop, and furniture? Worth protecting if you're renting.

❌ Education policy — Not yet. No kids.

👉 Key move: This is the stage where an insurance needs analysis pays off. Figure out your gaps before you start a family.

Stage 3: Newly Married / Young Couple (28–35)

Two incomes. Shared expenses. Maybe saving for a house.

But now someone else depends on you. And you depend on them.

✔️ Life insurance for both partners — If one of you dies, can the other maintain the same lifestyle? Pay the rent? A term life policy is affordable and essential.

✔️ Family medical cover — Switch from individual to couple/family plans. Compare costs — sometimes two individual plans are cheaper.

✔️ Motor vehicle insurance — Both cars if you each drive.

✔️ Last expense / funeral cover — Morbid but practical. Funerals in Kenya cost KSh 200,000–500,000 easily. Don't leave that burden to family.

❌ Education policy — Wait until you actually have kids.

👉 Key move: Have the money conversation. Sit down together and decide what you'd need if the worst happened. That number determines your life cover amount.

Stage 4: New Parents (30–40)

Baby's here. Everything changes.

Your responsibilities just multiplied. And so did your insurance needs.

✔️ Increased life insurance — Recalculate. You now need enough to cover childcare, education, and living expenses for 18+ years if something happens to you.

✔️ Education / savings policy — Start early. Even KSh 5,000/month from birth compounds significantly by the time school fees hit.

✔️ Comprehensive medical insurance — Make sure it covers maternity (for future kids), paediatric visits, and vaccinations. Check the medical insurance guide for what to look for.

✔️ Personal accident cover — With dependants, disability is now scarier than death financially. Make sure your cover includes permanent disability benefits.

✔️ Home insurance — If you've bought a house, protect it. Mortgage lenders often require this anyway.

❌ Retirement annuity — Not the top priority yet, but start thinking about it.

👉 Key move: Name your children as beneficiaries on your life policy. And set up a trust if the sum assured is significant — you don't want minors inheriting cash directly.

Stage 5: Established Family (40–50)

Peak earning years. Kids in secondary school or university. Maybe you've started a side business.

This is where gaps in your coverage become expensive.

✔️ Reviewed and increased life insurance — Your original KSh 2M cover from 10 years ago? Inflation has eaten half its value. Review and top up.

✔️ Business insurance — If you run a business with employees, group insurance is both a legal consideration and a retention tool.

✔️ Critical illness cover — Cancer, heart disease, kidney failure. The risk goes up sharply after 40. A lump-sum payout can cover treatment costs that medical insurance caps don't reach.

✔️ Retirement planning — Max out pension contributions. Consider an individual retirement benefits scheme if your employer's isn't enough.

✔️ Comprehensive medical insurance — Ensure it covers chronic conditions. Many policies have waiting periods — don't wait until diagnosis to add this.

❌ Education policy — Kids are almost done. Wind this down.

👉 Key move: Do a full insurance audit. List every policy you hold, check for overlaps and gaps. Many families discover they're over-insured in one area and completely exposed in another.

Stage 6: Empty Nesters (50–60)

Kids are out of the house. Expenses drop. But new risks emerge.

✔️ Enhanced medical insurance — This is non-negotiable. Health costs increase dramatically. Get the best cover you can afford.

✔️ Life insurance review — You might need less life cover now. If your spouse can sustain themselves, reduce the sum assured and redirect premiums to health cover.

✔️ Critical illness cover — Keep this or increase it.

✔️ Long-term care planning — Start thinking about what happens if you can't care for yourself.

✔️ Last expense cover — Ensure it's adequate. Funeral costs only go up.

❌ Motor vehicle comprehensive — Consider whether third-party is enough if your car has depreciated significantly.

👉 Key move: Consolidate. You probably have policies scattered across multiple insurers. Bring them together for easier management.

Stage 7: Retirement (60+)

You've worked hard. Now it's about protecting what you've built.

✔️ Senior medical insurance — The most important policy you'll ever hold. Many insurers offer senior-specific plans. Compare carefully — pre-existing condition clauses vary widely.

✔️ Last expense / funeral cover — Fully paid up and current.

✔️ Annuity or income drawdown — Convert your retirement savings into a predictable monthly income.

✔️ Estate planning — Not insurance per se, but make sure your policies, beneficiaries, and will are all aligned.

❌ Life insurance — Often too expensive at this stage. If you have a whole-life policy, keep it. Don't start new term cover.

👉 Key move: Review beneficiary designations on every policy. Outdated beneficiaries cause more financial pain than policy lapses.

The Quick-Reference Checklist

Final Word

Insurance isn't a one-time purchase. It's a living, breathing plan that should change as your life changes.

The biggest mistake Kenyans make? Buying a policy at 28 and never touching it again. By 45, that cover is completely wrong for their situation.

Review your insurance every year. Every major life event — marriage, baby, new job, new house, retirement — should trigger a fresh look at what you're covered for.

Use this checklist as your guide. Share it with your spouse, your siblings, your parents. Everyone's at a different stage, and everyone needs a different mix.

Don't wait for a crisis to find out you're exposed.

🟢 Ready to figure out exactly what you need? Start with a proper insurance needs analysis to identify your gaps. Then explore our guides on life insurance basics, medical insurance, and motor vehicle cover to get the right policies in place — at the right time.