College of Insurance

What College of Insurance does

College of Insurance (COI) is a private Kenyan educational institution founded in 1990 by the Insurance Training and Education Trust (ITET) under the Trustees Act, governed by trustees drawn from the insurance industry, government, and other stakeholders. It is positioned as the premier specialist college for insurance, risk management, pensions, actuarial science, and loss-adjusting education in East and Central Africa, anchored by the Certificate of Proficiency (COP) — a 3-month program that the Kenyan government made mandatory for all insurance agents in 1996. The portfolio includes a two-year Diploma in Insurance, a one-year Craft Course in Insurance (CCI), the 5-day Trustee Development Program Kenya (TDPK) for pension fund trustees, a 3-month Award in Bancassurance, the 2-week Executive COP (ECOP), over 40 short courses, and CII (London) examination delivery.

Revenue is generated through four principal streams: academic course fees (diploma, certificate, and professional courses including KES 1,000 application fees, KES 2,000 annual registration, and KES 3,000 examination entries per paper); examination fees (with late entries at a 50% premium and exemptions at KES 5,000); short courses and seminars priced between KES 30,000 and KES 60,000; and hospitality services including accommodation, conferencing (KES 3,200 per person per day), catering, and wedding venues (KES 50,000–70,000). Distribution combines two physical campuses (Nairobi headquarters in South C and Mombasa), a Moodle-based e-learning platform (coi.mrooms.net), a self-service student portal (portal.coi.ac.ke), and a network of examination centers across Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nyeri, Eldoret) and one international site in Kampala, Uganda. The institution holds examination-affiliate relationships with AKI, AIBK, IIK, IRA, ILARS, KNIEB, and CII, and partners with regulatory bodies (IRA, RBA, CMA) and universities (University of Nairobi, Moi University, MUA) for outreach, curriculum, and capacity.

COI operates as a not-for-profit trust-entity educational institution with industry and government oversight rather than a venture- or equity-backed business. Reported scale is 6,000 enrolled students and 250 staff members across two campuses.

Name

College of Insurance

Legal name

College of Insurance

Website

https://coi.ac.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

College of Insurance is a Kenyan private educational institution offering insurance, pensions, risk management, and actuarial qualifications — including the mandatory COP for insurance agents — to professionals, brokers, trustees, and corporate clients, with complementary hospitality and conference services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Insurance Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDABALAQ

Insurance

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Industry-Specific Professional Training (e.g., Healthcare, Manufacturing, Construction)

SECONDARYEDAAALAJ

Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

SECONDARYEDAAAPAH

Insurance

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Industry-Specific Training (Healthcare, Tech, etc.)

Keywords

• Insurance professional education
• Risk management training
• Pensions certification programs
• Actuarial science courses
• Hospitality venue services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Academic Course Fees: Revenue from diploma, certificate, and professional courses in insurance, risk management, pensions, and actuarial science. Includes application fees (Ksh 1,000), registration fees, and tuition.
2. Examination Fees: Revenue from conducting insurance examinations. Charges include normal examination entry fees (Ksh 3,000 per paper), late entry fees (50% premium), and exemption fees (Ksh 5,000).
3. Short Courses and Seminars: Revenue from short professional development courses in specialized insurance topics ranging from 1-5 days, with fees varying by program.
4. Hospitality Services: Revenue from accommodation, conference facilities, catering, and event hosting including weddings. Includes venue hire, full board packages, and restaurant services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

College of Insurance delivers professional education and certification programs in insurance, risk management, pensions, and actuarial science through diploma, certificate, and short course formats, both in-person and online. It also serves as an examination center for local and international insurance qualifications. The institution additionally operates hospitality services including conference facilities, accommodation, catering, and wedding venues on its Nairobi campus.

Product overview

College of Insurance operates as a dual-offering institution providing both educational programs and hospitality services. The educational portfolio includes seven core programs: Diploma in Insurance (2-year), Craft Course in Insurance CCI (1-year), Certificate of Proficiency COP (3-month, mandatory for insurance agents), Chartered Insurance Institute Courses CII (6-month, international), Trustee Development Program TDPK (5-day), Award in Bancassurance (3-month), and Executive Certificate of Proficiency ECOP (2-week). The institution also offers over 40 short courses spanning insurance specializations. Beyond academics, the institution operates hospitality services including catering/restaurant (500-capacity), accommodation (luxury rooms), conferencing (up to 300 delegates), pool lounge/recreation, and wedding venues. Two digital platforms support operations: a Student Portal (portal.coi.ac.ke) for admissions and records, and an E-Learning Platform (coi.mrooms.net) based on Moodle for online coursework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diploma in Insurance A 2-year diploma program covering insurance at both Associate and Fellowship levels, with subjects including Legal Aspects of Insurance, Life Assurance, Fire Insurance, and Reinsurance. Targeted at insurance professionals seeking advanced qualifications.
• Craft Course in Insurance (CCI)

Quantifiable outcome

• First examinations held in 1997 for COP program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRA partners with the college for county training programs including Executive COP training in various Kenyan counties (Kilifi, Nakuru, Wajir). IRA is the regulatory body overseeing insurance in Kenya.
• Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe college is an examination affiliate for AKI, one of the major insurance industry bodies in Kenya. Industry stakeholders established the college through ITET.
• The Association of Insurance Brokers of Kenya (AIBK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExamination affiliate partnership with AIBK for insurance broker professional examinations.
• Insurance Institute of Kenya (IIK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation for insurance professional examinations through IIK.
• Insurance Training and Education Trust (ITET)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerITET is the founding entity that established the College of Insurance. ITET was incorporated under the Trustees Act (Cap 64) with trustees drawn from the insurance industry, government, and other stakeholders.
• Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) - LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe college serves as an examination center for CII (London) international insurance qualifications. The college was established partly in response to CII being expensive and less consonant with local market needs.
• Institute of Loss Adjusters and Risk Surveyors (ILARS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExamination affiliate for loss adjusting and risk surveying professional qualifications.
• Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory partner for pensions and retirement benefits training and education programs.
• Kenya National Insurance Examinations Board (KNIEB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExamination affiliate for KNIEB insurance examinations.
• Organization of Eastern and Southern Africa Insurers (OESAI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional insurance organization partnership for East and Southern Africa insurance training and standards.
• Capital Markets Authority (CMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory partner for capital markets related insurance training programs.
• University of NairobiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner university for higher education collaborations.
• Moi UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner university and examination center location (Eldoret).
• Management University of Africa (MUA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for management education collaborations.
• African Insurance OrganisationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinental insurance organization partnership for pan-African insurance training initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Makerere University: Uganda's largest university, where COI operates its international examination center in Kampala. Represents both a partnership host and regional higher education competition for actuarial and insurance qualifications across East Africa.
• Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA): South African insurance professional training institution with similar mission of providing certified insurance qualifications across the African insurance market. Operates as the dominant insurance training body in a different geography within the same regional ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Strathmore University: Leading Kenyan private university offering actuarial science, finance, and business programs. Represents competition for higher-tier insurance and finance credentials as degree-level programs become the new standard for senior insurance roles.
• Kenya Institute of Management (KIM): Established Kenyan professional training institution offering management and business courses with recognized credentials. While not insurance-specific, KIM competes for the same corporate training budgets and individual professional development spend in Kenya.
• Chartered Insurance Institute (CII): Global gold standard for insurance professional qualifications based in London. COI serves as an examination center for CII programs and competes against CII's curriculum for the most ambitious East African insurance professionals seeking internationally portable credentials.
• University of Nairobi: Kenya's premier public university with actuarial science and insurance-related degree programs. A direct competitor for degree-level credentials and academic partnerships in the insurance space, and a potential partner for articulation pathways from COI diplomas.

Direct peers

• Insurance Institute of Kenya (IIK): Kenyan insurance professional training body providing certifications and continuing education for the insurance industry. Both COI and IIK serve the same Kenyan insurance workforce with overlapping professional certification offerings and similar mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coi_kenya

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about College of Insurance