Nairobi, April 23 -- Maritime and transit insurance premiums grew at the slowest pace in four years in 2025, reflecting gaps in enforcing rules that require all imports to be insured locally.

Fresh data from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) show that maritime and transit insurance premiums grew by about 2.9 percent last year, well below potential given Kenya's expanding import bill.

Comparatively, provisional data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show that Kenya's import bill rose to Sh2.79 trillion in 2025, up from Sh2.69 trillion the previous year, representing growth of 3.55 percent. This divergence between premium growth and import expansion points to lost underwriting opportunities.

IRA data show that marine an...