Early learnings from the DRIVE life and health microinsurance pilot in Kenya 

508  pastoralists surveyed

4  pilot counties

48%  aware of Linda Mfugaji

39% / 18%  reported hospitalization / death

For pastoralist families, whose livelihoods depend mainly on raising livestock and moving in search of pasture and water, livestock is more than an asset. It is income, food, savings, identity, and a safety net. Yet when a family member is hospitalized or dies, households often have to draw down this same safety net to manage the shock. They may sell animals, borrow from friends, or use limited savings. These options can help families respond quickly, but they can also weaken their recovery and reduce future income. 

Our solution, Linda Mfugaji, which combines two Swahili words that together mean “Protect the Pastoralist,” was designed to address this gap. Women’s World Banking (WWB), in partnership with Zep-re and Britam, developed Linda Mfugaji, a pastoralist life and health (L&H) insurance solution in Kenya. Introduced under the DRIVE initiative, Linda Mfugaji was bundled with the Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) product, as the solution was designed to support IBLI renewal.  

Linda Mfugaji provides a cash payment when an insured household member is hospitalized for at least two nights and a payment in the event of death. While the benefit is not meant to pay hospital bills directly, it gives families flexible cash that can support transport, food, recovery costs, lost income, or other urgent needs after a qualifying event. 

Early learning from our pilot immediately demonstrated why this type of protection matters. We found that 39 percent of surveyed households reported a hospitalization in the previous 12 months, while 18 percent reported a death. These are real and common risks for pastoralist households, and they often occur alongside drought and other livelihood pressures. Linda Mfugaji therefore extends insurance from protecting just animals to protecting the wellbeing of the household that depends on them. 

What we learned from our pilot 

• Enrolment is not the same as understanding. Awareness of Linda Mfugaji was 48 percent, much lower than awareness of livestock insurance. Some customers who received the product through a freemium offer did not know they were covered owing to lack of adequate education for the pastoralist. This is an important lesson: a product can only work for families if they know they have it, understand what it covers, and know when and how to use it. 

• Simple language matters. Some pastoralists initially understood Linda Mfugaji as medical insurance that would pay hospital bills, while in fact the product is a cash benefit linked to hospitalization or death. Clearer messaging can help customers understand the difference, set the right expectations, and see the product as a practical household resilience tool. 

• Making claims builds trust. Although many households reported health and life shocks, only a small number reported making claims. The evaluation points to several reasons: low awareness of cover, limited knowledge of the claims process, documentation requirements, travel costs, phone and connectivity constraints, and dependence on community mobilisers. This means that strengthening claims support is just as important as increasing enrolment. 

• Community mobilisers are central to making Linda Mfugaji work. They explain the product, support enrolment, guide customers through claims, and act as the first point of contact. Because they are trusted locally, they help bridge the gap between insurers and pastoralist communities. To support scale, mobilizers need refresher training, simple job aids, and faster feedback channels so they can respond to customer questions with confidence. 

• Reaching women directly through trusted community spaces can improve uptake and help families make joint decisions about protection. Women often carry responsibility for care, food, and household wellbeing, making life and health protection especially relevant to them. Insights show that insurance decisions and premium payments are still shaped by who controls money in the household.  

Overall, Linda Mfugaji shows strong promise as a resilience product for pastoralist households. The project has trained 484 community mobilizers and reached nearly 15,000 pastoralists. To date, more than 5,000 pastoralists are covered by the policy.  The next phase will focus on strengthening the claims experience, improving customer education and communication, and supporting community mobilizers to drive better uptake. These efforts will help strengthen customer value, build trust in the product, and increase its potential for scale. 

Linda Mfugaji offers an important lesson for inclusive insurance. Scaling should move beyond enrolment numbers to meaningful use. For insurance to work for low-income and climate-vulnerable households, families must deeply understand the cover and its benefits, know how to use it, and access support when a shock occurs. By strengthening communication, simplifying claims, improving local support, and engaging women and men intentionally, Linda Mfugaji can become both a trusted safety net for pastoralist families and a practical model for other financial service providers. 

Key lessons for scale 

• Make enrolment informed, not passive. 

• Explain Linda Mfugaji as a cash benefit, not hospital bill cover. 

• Invest in claims support because claims are the strongest proof of value. 

• Equip community mobilisers with practical tools and fast feedback. 

• Reach women directly because they play a central role in household wellbeing.