Lawyer Cliff Ombati Warns Against Taking Insurance Cover With Old Mutual: “Talk to Me Before You Do, Their Imara Cover Is a Fraud”

Prominent Kenyan lawyer Cliff Ombati has publicly criticized Old Mutual Kenya’s AfyaImara family medical cover following what he described as a disappointing personal experience with the insurer.

In a series of posts on X, Ombati urged prospective customers to consult him before purchasing cover from the company.

“Anyone needing a cover from Old Mutual, talk to me before you do,” he wrote.

In an earlier post, he expressed his frustration more directly, stating: “@OldMutual_Ke you are a disappointment. Today I have realised. Story to follow. Your IMARA cover is a fraud.”

Screenshot

Screenshot

The remarks have attracted significant attention online and come at a time when Old Mutual is facing broader questions about fraud management, underwriting performance and corporate governance, as reflected in its latest public disclosures and ongoing court proceedings.

Ombati has not publicly disclosed the full details of the incident that prompted his criticism. As a result, the specific circumstances surrounding his complaint remain unclear.

However, his comments have reignited debate among policyholders about customer experiences within Kenya’s medical insurance sector.

Old Mutual’s 2025 disclosures show that the company recorded fraud-related losses amounting to Sh106.4 million during the year.

The insurer reported that approximately 42 percent of those losses were linked to internal actors, while the remainder involved external parties and other fraud risks.

The company also disclosed that it processed more than 1.3 million medical claims valued at Sh10.7 billion during the period. At the same time, management indicated that it had scaled back portions of its medical insurance portfolio after determining that certain business segments were not generating sustainable returns.

Chief Executive Officer Arthur Oginga told investors that medical insurance performance had been affected by pricing challenges and claims pressures. Industry analysts have long pointed to rising healthcare costs, claims inflation and fraud as major pressures facing medical insurers across Kenya.

Old Mutual’s annual report further identified several operational and fraud-related risks, including weaknesses in customer data validation processes, vendor management controls, cyber-security threats, social engineering attacks and other internal control challenges. The company stated that it has been implementing additional safeguards and fraud prevention measures to strengthen its risk management framework.

The disclosures show that Old Mutual referred 177 suspected fraud cases for investigation and introduced dozens of new fraud-control measures across its operations in Kenya and Uganda during the year.

Beyond operational concerns, the company is also involved in an ongoing shareholder dispute. Minority shareholder Joel Kamau Kibe has filed legal proceedings raising concerns about corporate governance, shareholder dilution and various historical transactions. The matters remain before the courts and have not been conclusively determined.

The dispute has drawn attention from investors because it touches on issues including shareholder rights, capital restructuring and the management of corporate assets. Old Mutual has consistently maintained that its actions have been lawful and in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.

Online reactions to Ombati’s posts have been mixed. While some users shared frustrations about medical insurance generally, others cautioned against drawing conclusions from a single customer’s experience before all the facts are publicly known.

The controversy nevertheless highlights a broader challenge facing Kenya’s health insurance sector. Rising medical costs, disputes over claims, fraud risks and increasing customer expectations continue to place pressure on insurers, healthcare providers and policyholders alike.

Whether Ombati’s criticism reflects an isolated customer dispute or points to wider concerns within the medical insurance market remains to be seen. What is certain is that his comments have added fresh scrutiny to one of Kenya’s largest financial services groups at a time when the company is already navigating operational, regulatory and governance challenges.

Old Mutual had not publicly responded to the specific allegations made by Ombati at the time of publication.

Editor’s Note: This article is based on publicly available social media posts by Cliff Ombati, Old Mutual’s published financial disclosures, court records relating to ongoing shareholder litigation and other publicly available reports. The allegations made by Ombati remain his own and have not been independently verified.