NAIROBI, Kenya — Britam General Insurance has introduced an artificial intelligence-powered claims system that will allow motor insurance claims to be assessed and settled within two hours, a process that previously took up to five working days.
The new system, known as the Britam AI Motor Assessment Service, was launched on Tuesday, March 10, and is designed as a drive-through claims settlement facility aimed at accelerating the processing of minor motor accident claims.
According to the insurer, the technology targets customers holding comprehensive motor insurance policies whose vehicles have sustained minor damage.
“Today, five working days are not good enough for our customers. We have launched a capability that assesses accident vehicles using AI and pays the customer within two hours,” said James Mbithi, Chief Executive Officer of Britam General Insurance.
How the AI Claims System Works
The platform, developed by BetaLab, Britam’s innovation hub, is currently operational at the Britam Centre.
Upon arrival at the assessment facility, a customer’s vehicle is photographed and analysed by an AI-powered system that evaluates damage in about 15 minutes.
Once the automated inspection is complete, a digital claim form is sent directly to the policyholder’s phone, eliminating the traditional paperwork process that required filling out, scanning, and submitting physical documents.
Britam then reviews the completed form within approximately 30 minutes before initiating settlement.
Payments can be made through bank transfer, mobile money, or through authorisation for repairs at garages within Britam’s network of approved service providers.
“The stated end-to-end target is two hours from arrival to resolution,” the company said.
Fraud Prevention and Accuracy
Britam says the technology combines three digital systems designed to improve accuracy and prevent fraud during the claims process.
First, a vehicle object detection model verifies that the uploaded images are authentic and confirms the correct orientation and location of the vehicle parts being photographed.
Second, a damage detection model uses computer vision to classify the type of damage, its severity and the specific components affected.
Finally, a price discovery engine pulls real-time data from spare parts suppliers and repairers to generate accurate repair cost estimates tailored to the local market.
Together, these systems aim to reduce disputes between insurers and policyholders by providing data-driven assessments that minimise human error.
Future Expansion Plans
Mbithi said the company intends to expand the system further so customers can initiate claims directly from the accident scene without visiting an assessment centre.
“In the future, we will be looking at how to scale this up so that a customer can do it at the scene of the accident, wherever they are,” he said.
For now, the AI-powered service is limited to comprehensive motor insurance policyholders and applies only to vehicles that remain drivable and have sustained minor damage.
