By Sylvester Ouma , General Manager Retail and SME Jubilee Health Insurance
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the heartbeat of Kenya’s economy. Employing millions, driving innovation, and supporting livelihoods across the country.
Yet beneath this energy lies a silent vulnerability: SME health insurance. That many business owners rarely address employee health and wellbeing.
In many SMEs, especially the micro and informal ones, health cover is often viewed as a luxury, something to consider “later” or only when the business is more established. But that thinking may be costing businesses more than they realise.
Globally the link between health and business performance is well documented, while locally, a growing body of data echoes the same message.
Studies reveals that effective workplace wellness programs can reduce absenteeism by 26% and improve job satisfaction by 15%. These aren’t just soft benefits, they directly impact performance, delivery, and long-term success and the scale of opportunity is massive.
For instance, in a team of five, one employee requiring emergency medical care can disrupt operations for days. In some cases, a single hospital bill becomes a crisis, not just for the employee, but for the entire business.
Absenteeism, emotional strain, lost productivity, these are very real consequences of overlooking employee wellbeing. For small teams, even a brief interruption can mean lost income, missed contracts, or customer dissatisfaction. When your business depends on every pair of hands, one health crisis is all it takes to stall progress.
Kenya has over 7.4 million micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, collectively employing approximately 14.9 million people.
That’s nearly 40% of the country’s GDP. If we want to safeguard the country’s economic engine, we must start by protecting the people who power it, yet the gap in protection remains vast.
Today, less than 3% of Kenyans have access to commercial health insurance, and even with the government layer, only about 19% of the population is covered, leaving millions of hardworking Kenyans especially those in SMEs, without a safety net.
When illness strikes, the financial impact can be devastating for both employee and employer.
Despite this, the conversation around SME health insurance in Kenya, workplace wellness in is still too often limited to large corporates. But SMEs, despite their size, need resilience just as much, if not more, and resilience isn’t just about capital, it’s about people. Protecting the health of your team is no longer just a human resource issue; it’s a business survival strategy.
There has long been a stark divide between companies that can offer medical packages and those that feel left out of the system, but that divide is no longer justified.
Today, affordable health solutions tailored to SMEs are emerging some allowing businesses to start with as few as three employees, and others offering flexible monthly payment plans that match real cashflow cycles.
We’ve seen this shift firsthand at Jubilee Health Insurance, where we’ve worked closely with SMEs to co-create flexible solutions that reflect their realities. It’s proof that the gap between ‘too small’ and ‘well-covered’ is finally narrowing.
The misconception that SME health insurance in Kenya is only for corporates must be challenged, not only is it now within reach for smaller enterprises, but it is also becoming a competitive advantage.
Especially for SME owners looking to scale and retain talent, offering health cover sets them apart. It shows that you’re serious, forward-thinking, and committed to your team’s wellbeing, and in today’s labour market, that can make all the difference.
Policymakers, insurers, and private sector enablers must continue working together to break down historic barriers and design inclusive SME health insurance in Kenya workforce and in the same breath, SME owners must shift their perspective.
Health coverage is not an expense to postpone, it is an investment in continuity, loyalty, and growth.
What we need now is a mindset shift, away from reactive healthcare to preventive wellbeing., away from “we’ll figure it out when someone gets sick” to “we care enough to plan ahead.” When we talk about empowering SMEs, we must talk about protecting the people who make them possible, and that starts with health.
If SMEs are to be the future of our economy, then its our call to treat people like the assets they are.
A resilient business is not built by products or profits alone, rather It is built by people who are supported, protected, and healthy enough to show up every day.
