Kenya’s freight forwarding industry has unveiled a new Digital Marine Cargo Insurance (DMCI) platform as the government begins enforcing regulations requiring all imported goods to be insured through locally licensed providers from July 1.
The initiative supports the implementation of provisions under the Marine Insurance Act and the Insurance Act, which make locally issued marine cargo insurance a mandatory requirement before imported goods can be cleared by customs.
To simplify compliance, the DMCI platform has been integrated with the Kenya Revenue Authority’s Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS), the eCitizen payment gateway and other digital payment channels.
Several insurers have joined the platform, including APA General Insurance, Britam General Insurance, CIC General Insurance, Old Mutual General Insurance, Pacis Insurance and Dynamique Insurance, with eCitizen serving as the primary payment platform.
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According to the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA), the system enables the immediate issuance of digital marine cargo insurance certificates, facilitates real time premium payments and allows automated verification of insurance certificates. These features are expected to minimise paperwork and accelerate the cargo clearance process.
Importers can also make insurance payments through multiple channels, including eCitizen, M-Pesa, commercial banks and Pesaflow, allowing them to complete the insurance process digitally before customs clearance begins.
