Britam General Insurance has introduced a new artificial intelligence-powered drive-through service designed to assess vehicle damage and settle motor insurance claims within two hours, dramatically reducing the typical five-day wait experienced by many motorists in Kenya.
The service, known as the Britam AI Motor Assessment Service, is located at Britam Centre in Nairobi and was developed by BetaLab, the insurer’s internal innovation unit. It targets customers with comprehensive motor insurance policies whose vehicles have sustained minor damage but remain drivable.
Under the new system, motorists simply drive to the assessment centre, where Britam staff capture photographs of the vehicle. An AI system then analyses the images to evaluate the extent of the damage, a process that takes approximately 15 minutes.
Once the analysis is complete, a digital claim form is automatically sent to the customer’s mobile phone. This step eliminates traditional paperwork such as manual form filling, document scanning, and the submission of physical claim forms.
After the customer submits the digital claim, Britam reviews the application within about 30 minutes. If approved, the insurer either transfers the payout directly to the customer through a bank transfer or M-Pesa, or issues a repair authorisation to one of its partner garages. From arrival at the centre to final settlement or repair approval, the entire process is designed to be completed within two hours.
Faster claims through AI
James Mbithi, CEO of Britam General Insurance, said the initiative represents a major shift in how motor insurance claims are handled and reflects growing customer demand for faster service.
Mbithi noted that the traditional five-day processing time is no longer acceptable for many policyholders, adding that the new AI-based system allows accident vehicles to be assessed and claims paid within a matter of hours.
He also said the company is exploring ways to expand the technology in the future so customers could potentially complete assessments directly at accident scenes using mobile devices.
According to Mbithi, the AI system can identify and evaluate vehicle damage with greater precision than manual inspections. The technology uses data-driven analysis to produce clearer results, which can help reduce disputes between insurers and customers regarding repair costs or the extent of damage.
Tackling fraud in motor insurance
Insurance fraud has long been a major challenge in the motor insurance sector. Data from Kenya’s Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) shows insurers rejected 22,364 compensation claims worth KSh 658.9 million in the first quarter of 2025, including cases involving suspected fraud or incomplete documentation.
Britam says its new platform addresses these risks through three integrated artificial intelligence models.
The first is a vehicle object detection model, which verifies the authenticity of submitted images and identifies the specific side of the vehicle being photographed.
The second is a damage detection model that uses computer vision technology to classify the type and severity of damage while identifying the vehicle components affected.
The third component is a price discovery engine, which aggregates real-time data from spare parts suppliers and repair workshops to generate localized repair cost estimates.
Together, these systems aim to reduce common sources of fraud, including manipulated images, exaggerated repair quotations, and inconsistent damage assessments.
Part of a broader digital strategy
The launch of the AI-driven claims service forms part of Britam’s broader push to modernize its insurance operations through technology.
For more than five years, the insurer has used a structured, data-driven platform to monitor spare parts prices and support assessors in estimating repair costs. That system has now been expanded and integrated with AI capabilities to automate large portions of the assessment process that were previously handled manually.
Currently, the service is limited to vehicles that can still be driven and have sustained relatively minor damage. It is also available only to customers holding comprehensive motor insurance policies.
Britam said that as the technology continues to evolve, there may be opportunities to broaden the service to cover additional types of claims. For now, the focus remains on ensuring the AI system operates efficiently and delivers faster settlements for eligible policyholders.
