• By Raymond Momanyi

When Brakes Fail: How Insurance Handles Highway Accidents in Kenya

You’re cruising down the highway, minding your own business. Suddenly, your brakes fail. In a split second, your car swerves, smashes into a tree, and collides with a herd of cows. Now you’re standing by the roadside, shaken, with a wrecked car and angry herdsmen shouting at you. Next stop: that dreaded insurance claim form.
 
So, what do you actually write? Who pays for what? Let’s break it down step by step.
 

1. What Do You Report as Cause of Accident?

 
On the claim form, honesty is your best friend. Don’t sugar-coat, don’t invent. Write something like:
 
👉 “Brake failure while driving, resulting in loss of control of vehicle and collision with a tree and livestock.”

Insurance companies hate vague or suspicious stories. Mechanical failure is a recognized cause of accident — provided you weren’t negligent (like knowingly driving with faulty brakes). If your vehicle was roadworthy before the incident, you’re safe.
 

2. Will Your Car Be Repaired by Insurance?

 
This depends entirely on the type of cover you bought:
 

• Comprehensive Cover ✅
  Yes, your car’s damage will be covered (minus your policy excess). Towing truck costs are also usually included, though limits vary — check your policy wording.
• Third-Party Only (TPO) ❌
  Forget it. Repairs and towing for your car are on you. TPO only protects other people, not your vehicle.
• No Insurance 😬
  Brace yourself. You’ll pay for everything — repairs, cows, and maybe even lawsuits.

3. Will Insurance Compensate the Third Parties (Livestock Owners)?

 
Yes. Livestock counts as property in insurance language. If cows die, get injured, or disappear after the crash, the owners can make a claim against your insurance.
 

• With TPO or Comprehensive: Your insurer pays the compensation.
• Without Insurance: You’ll dig deep into your pockets. And here’s the kicker — farmers often exaggerate claims (“my cow was pregnant with twins worth Ksh 200,000”). That’s where insurance becomes your shield.

4. The Real-World Insurance Wisdom

 
🚗 Always ensure your car is roadworthy. If investigations prove you ignored faulty brakes, insurers can deny the claim.
 
🐄 Livestock accidents are common on Kenyan highways — Kisii, Narok, Meru, you name it. They’re messy, emotional, and expensive.

💸 With comprehensive cover, this nightmare is mostly sorted:
 

• Your car gets fixed.
• The cows are compensated.
• Towing is covered.

The only pain left? Paying your excess and enduring some inconvenience.

But with third-party only, your car becomes your problem. That’s when the “cheap option” starts to feel very expensive.
 

Bottom Line

 
If this scenario ever happens, report brake failure as the cause, let your insurer investigate, and pray you had comprehensive cover. It’s the difference between walking away with a repaired car or being stuck with a pile of scrap metal and angry cow owners.

👉 Don’t gamble with your peace of mind. Go comprehensive if you love your car. Talk to Imana Insurance Agency Kenya Ltd www.imana.co.ke WhatsApp +254796209402
 

 #ComprehensiveInsurance #ThirdPartyInsurance #InsuranceMadeEasy #BimaKenya #CarInsuranceKE #CompareSaveBuy