Kenya Diaspora Alliance chairperson Shem Ochuodho, Jubilee Health Insurance CEO
Njeri Jomo, BUPA Global Kenya CEO Uditha Jayaratne and Kenbright managing
director Ezekiel Macharia during the official sign-off ceremony for the Diaspora Medical
Cover partnership /HANDOUT
The Kenya Diaspora Alliance (KDA) has launched a new diaspora medical insurance cover to address a long-standing gap in health protection for Kenyans living abroad and their families, including back home.
This is through its welfare arm, Kenya Diaspora Alliance Welfare Association (KWA), with the solution being developed in collaboration with Jubilee Health Insurance, BUPA Global and Kenbright Insurance Brokers.
It will offer seamless access to quality healthcare for Kenyans in the diaspora who have long carried the financial and emotional strain of medical emergencies among loved ones back home.
In recent times, informal fundraising efforts have become a makeshift safety net and an indicator of an unserved but urgent need for structured healthcare support.
Central Bank of Kenya data shows diaspora remittances crossed $5.8 billion (Sh749.4 billion) in 2024 where most of it was directed toward household welfare, including healthcare.
Yet, until now, there has been limited integration of insurance solutions that link those remittances to sustainable medical coverage.
The new diaspora medical cover now formalises the safety net, providing structured access to medical care for families in Kenya and for diaspora members wherever they are in the world.
Jubilee Health Insurance CEO Njeri Jomo said the insurer's role is in now connecting care across borders at a time when the National Health Insurance Fund is in active transition to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and the Universal Health Coverage framework is still evolving.
“Health insurance is no longer confined by geography. Families today live across continents, but their care needs remain connected. Our partnership with KDA and BUPA is about making that continuity possible through one integrated system,” said Jomo.
Kenya Diaspora Alliance global chair, Shem Ochuodho, said the new diaspora medical cover responds directly to the realities of the alliance’s members.
“It gives Kenyans abroad a reliable, formal way to ensure their families back home have access to care without the distress that often accompanies medical crises,” he said.
The diaspora cover will lean on BUPA Global’s international reach, giving diaspora members access to over 2.4 million healthcare providers worldwide, including leading hospitals and specialists, BUPA Global Kenya CEO and principal officer Uditha Jayaratne noted.
Recent studies by the African Development Bank and the International Organisation for Migration show that healthcare is among the top three spending priorities for Kenyans abroad, after education and housing.
About 60 per cent of Kenyan households receiving remittances spend part of it on hospital bills or medical emergencies.
This new solution directly addresses that gap by offering predictable, pooled health coverage that reduces the financial shock of illness and strengthens family resilience across borders.
The Kenya Diaspora Alliance Welfare Association (KWA) was established to create structured welfare and protection systems for Kenyans abroad, reducing dependence on emergency fundraisers and building sustainable support mechanisms for diaspora families.
It operates under KDA, a global network representing Kenyan interests across more than 50 countries.
