Determinants of insolvency in selected insurance companies in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess determinants of insolvency of Insurance companies in Kenya. This study was guided by the following objectives: Establishing how the type of contract contributes to the insolvency of insurance companies in Kenya, establishing how under reserving contributes to insolvency of insurance companies, establishing how management contributes to insolvency of insurance companies, to establishing how regulations contribute to insolvency of insurance companies in Kenya. The study investigated all the 51 insurance firms registered in Kenya to establish the possible factors that contribute to insolvency. A cross sectional survey design was employed and a mixed research method applied to collect both qualitative and quantitative for the study. The study used questionnaires, interview guides and previous insurance regulator reports to collect information. The completed questionnaires were edited for completeness and consistency, checked for errors and omissions. Quantitative data was analyzed using frequency distribution, mean, percentage. The study findings are to be of value to the IRA in establishing policies and regulations to cope with the problem of insolvency. The total population size was 255 with the sampling size being 152 selected from the various insurance companies comprising of chief executive officers, human resource managers, underwriting managers, claims managers and finance managers. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire, interview guide and observation method. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientist Software (SPSS). The results of the study were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and the results were presented using tables. The findings of the study revealed that factors that contribute to insolvency of insurance companies are type of contract, under reserving, management and regulations. The study recommends that the insurance companies should invoke section 125 of the Republic of Kenya that requires a progressive realization of the enforcement of the one-third-gender rule to ensure that women are represented at the insurance companies as not only a requirement of the law but also balance decision making.