NAIROBI, Kenya, June 4-Britam paid out Sh97.3 million in insurance claims in 2025 to cushion more than 402,681 farmers and pastoralists affected by climate-related shocks across East Africa, highlighting the rising role of insurance in managing climate risk in the region’s agriculture-dependent economies.
According to the group’s 2025 Sustainability Report, the payouts were largely driven by its expanding use of parametric insurance models, which rely on satellite data and predefined weather triggers to accelerate compensation when droughts, erratic rainfall and other climate events occur.
Crop insurance uptake recorded the strongest growth, rising 83 percent year-on-year from 161,521 farmers in 2024 to 294,799 farmers in 2025.
During the period, Britam disbursed Sh80.4 million in crop insurance claims, providing relief to smallholder farmers facing increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
Livestock cover also widened, with 107,882 pastoralists across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania insured under the programme.
The group paid out Sh16.9 million in claims to affected households during the year.
“Through inclusive, sustainable and innovative solutions, we are enabling recovery, stability, and continued productivity even in the face of increasing climate uncertainty,” said Britam Group Managing Director Tom Gitogo.
“Our focus is to ensure that farmers and pastoralists are not left exposed when climate shocks strike.”
Beyond agricultural insurance, the report shows increased investment in environmental initiatives, including the rollout of a solar installation at Britam Tower in October 2025.
The system is expected to generate about 390,000 kWh of electricity annually, meet over half of the building’s energy demand and offset about 198 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
The group’s foundation also expanded its reforestation programme, planting 86,000 trees in the Mt. Elgon Water Tower, restoring more than 444 acres of degraded land and supporting 1,358 green jobs. Britam says it is working toward a target of 60 million trees by 2030.
To track these efforts, the insurer introduced TAWI in May 2026, a digital platform designed to coordinate and verify tree-planting activities.
On the health front, Britam’s Lea Mama maternal health programme enrolled more than 3,300 mothers in 2025, reporting a 50 percent reduction in miscarriage rates among participants and a Net Promoter Score of 9.4 out of 10.
The report also highlights governance and compliance performance, including zero corruption incidents recorded in 2025, Sh3.1 billion in taxes paid across seven markets, and a second consecutive certification as a Top Employer in Africa.
Britam said the 2025 Sustainability Report is its third annual disclosure and the first to consolidate operations across all seven markets under a unified ESG framework, reflecting a broader shift toward integrating sustainability into core operations.
