Fire and Special Perils Insurance
Covers loss of or damage to insured property caused by fire, lightning and explosion, with optional extensions for risks such as floods, storms, riots and other specified perils.
Get a Quote NowWhat's Covered
Fire & Lightning
Loss of or damage caused directly by fire and by lightning strikes, including the building itself, permanent fixtures, contents, machinery and declared stock at the insured premises.
Explosion
Damage arising from the explosion of gas, boilers, stoves, pressure vessels and other installations at the insured premises, subject to the definition of explosion set out in the policy wording.
Smoke Damage
Damage caused by smoke, soot and fumes from a fire at your premises or from a fire at a neighbouring property, even where the flames themselves never reach your building or stock.
Aircraft Impact
Damage caused by aircraft, drones or other aerial devices crashing into the insured property, or by objects dropped from them, however rare the event and however large the debris field.
Bursting of Water Tanks
Damage from the overflowing, bursting, leaking or overflowing of water tanks, pipes, cisterns and plumbing systems at the insured premises, including the water damage that follows.
Optional Peril Extensions
Add flood, storm and flood-plug overflow, riots, strikes and civil commotion, malicious damage, impact damage, earthquake and subsidence as extensions when your situation calls for them.
Why Fire & Special Perils Insurance Matters
Fire Spreads Faster Than You Think
A fire that starts in one shop or godown can consume an entire row of buildings in an afternoon. Without cover, you are rebuilding from nothing while your competitors keep trading.
Rebuilding Costs Have Risen Sharply
Steel, cement, timber and labour costs in Kenya have climbed steadily. The building you bought ten years ago can cost far more to rebuild today than the price you paid for it.
Landlords, Banks and Leases Require It
Most commercial leases and mortgage agreements make a fire policy a condition of the contract. Lenders want proof of cover before they release funds or renew your facility.
The Basic Policy Is Deliberately Narrow
Standard fire cover does not automatically include flood, storm, riots or malicious damage. In a country exposed to heavy rains and periodic civil unrest, the extensions are where the real protection lives.
Stock Is Usually the Biggest Loss
For many traders the value sitting in stock far exceeds the value of the building. Fire cover that includes declared stock is often the difference between reopening and closing permanently.
Recovery Takes Longer Without Cover
Businesses with insurance rebuild and reopen in months. Those without it spend years chasing donations, credit and goodwill, and many never recover their customer base at all.
How It Works
Value the Property Properly
We establish the reinstatement cost of your building, contents and stock, including demolition, debris removal and professional fees, so the sum insured matches the real cost of rebuilding.
Choose Perils & Extensions
You select the core fire and special perils cover, then add the extensions your risk actually needs, such as flood, storm, riots, malicious damage, earthquake or loss of profits.
Cover in Force
The policy runs for twelve months, with the sum insured reviewed annually against construction costs and any changes you make to the building, fittings or declared stock.
Lodge a Claim
Notify us immediately, obtain the fire brigade report, keep photographs and damaged remains intact, and submit invoices and valuations for assessment by the insurer's loss adjuster.
Types of Fire & Special Perils Cover
Choose the structure that matches your property, from a straightforward home package to a full industrial all risks programme.
Standard Fire & Special Perils
The core policy for buildings, contents and stock. Covers the specified fire perils with a menu of optional extensions you can tailor to the property and its location.
- Cover for fire, lightning, explosion and smoke
- Buildings, machinery, contents and declared stock
- Optional flood, storm and subsidence extensions
- Riots, strikes and malicious damage extensions
- Sum insured on a full reinstatement value basis
Industrial All Risks
An extended option for factories, warehouses and large commercial assets. Goes beyond named perils to cover accidental physical loss or damage unless specifically excluded.
- Accidental damage in addition to fire perils
- Machinery breakdown can be added on
- Wider cover for goods in storage and on site
- Suitable for higher-value industrial sums insured
- Fewer surprises from unnamed causes of loss
Householder & Property Owner Packages
Bundled protection for homes and rental property. Combines fire cover with common household extensions in one straightforward package premium for owners and landlords.
- Fire cover for the building and household goods
- Theft and malicious damage extension options
- Alternative accommodation while repairs proceed
- Cover for landlord fixtures, fittings and appliances
- Simple package pricing with one renewal date
Who Is This For
Homeowners & Landlords
Owners of residential property, rental units and landlord-supplied appliances can insure the building and their own contents against fire and the extensions they choose.
Shops & Offices
Retailers, professional practices and office tenants need cover for fittings, furniture, equipment and stock housed in leased or owned commercial premises.
Factories & Warehouses
Manufacturing plants, processing facilities and storage warehouses carry high values of machinery and stock. Industrial all risks cover suits these larger exposures.
Hotels, Schools & Institutions
Hospitality venues, learning institutions and organisations with large buildings and contents benefit from package or commercial fire policies with wide extension options.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Insuring at market value instead of reinstatement value
Market value includes land and location, while reinstatement value is the actual cost to rebuild new. Insure the wrong figure and the average clause will cut your claim down to size.
Never updating the sum insured
Extensions, renovations, rising material costs and growing stock all push up your true exposure. A sum insured set five years ago is almost certainly too low today.
Buying the cheapest cover with no extensions
A bare fire policy often excludes flood, storm, riots and malicious damage. If your premises sit near a river, on a flood plain or in a busy trading centre, those gaps matter.
Ignoring occupancy and maintenance conditions
Many policies restrict cover if the property stands unoccupied for long periods or if electrical wiring and geyser maintenance fall behind. Read the conditions before you assume you are covered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a standard fire policy cover flood and storm?
Not usually. Flood, storm, tempest and flood-plug overflow are typically optional extensions added for an extra premium. Tell us where the property is located and we will advise which extensions are sensible for your risk.
What does reinstatement value mean?
It is the cost to rebuild or replace the property as new at current prices, including demolition, debris removal, architects and quantity surveyors fees, and any escalations during reconstruction. It is not the market value and it is not the purchase price.
Are my contents and stock covered as well as the building?
Yes, if they are declared and included in the sum insured. You can insure the structure alone, contents alone, or both together, and stock can be declared as a separate figure that you update through the year.
How does the average clause affect my claim?
If your sum insured is lower than the true value of the property, the insurer pays in proportion to the ratio you declared. Insure KES 5 million of stock worth KES 10 million and a total loss claim is halved, regardless of the cause of the fire.
Is arson or fire caused by malicious damage covered?
Fire caused by a malicious third party is generally covered under the malicious damage extension. Deliberate acts by you or anyone acting with your knowledge are excluded, as are losses arising from civil war and similar unrest unless the riots extension applies.
What documents do I need for a claim?
Expect to provide the policy certificate, the fire brigade or police report, photographs of the damage, proof of ownership and value such as invoices or valuation records, and a detailed list of items lost. Prompt notification is essential.
How is my premium calculated?
Premium depends on the sum insured, the occupancy of the building, construction type, fire protection such as extinguishers and sprinklers, the location, and the extensions you select. Higher-risk occupancies and poorer protection push the rate up.
Does cover stop if the building is left empty?
Many policies contain an unoccupancy clause that restricts or suspends cover after a set number of consecutive days, often around thirty to ninety. If your property will be vacant, tell the insurer so the policy can be endorsed correctly.
Real Talk
One fire in a single kiosk can take out a whole building, and the stock inside it. The landlord rebuilds because he has cover. The tenant who had none starts again from zero, still owing the same suppliers.
People treat fire cover as a box the landlord or the bank asked for. It is not. It is the one policy that decides whether you reopen next month or never reopen at all.
Insure the rebuild cost, not the asking price.
Fire and special perils insurance products are offered by licensed insurance companies. Coverage, limits, exclusions, and premiums vary by insurer, occupancy, location and the extensions selected. The information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute a quotation or binding offer. Please contact us for personalised quotes and advice tailored to your specific property.
Protect What You Have Built
Whether it is your family home, your shop or your factory floor, get your property properly valued and covered today. One policy, real protection.
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