CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTES OF CASH BASED RETAILERS AS AN ALTERNATIVE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL FOR MICRO-INSURANCE IN KENYA

Abstract: The insurance penetration rate in Kenya is low. Insurance has traditionally been distributed through insurance brokers and agents. The objective of the study was to characterize the demographic attributes of cash based retailers as an alternative distribution channel for micro-insurance in Kenya. A descriptive survey research design was used with a target population of 348,700 agency banking and mobile money agents in Kenya. A sample of 192 respondents was extracted with a response rate of 95 percent. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data, having structured and unstructured questions. Research assistants were used to collect data which was subsequently checked, cleaned, coded and analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including: frequencies, cross tabulations, percentages, means and standard deviations. The results were presented using tables, bar charts and pie charts. The findings indicated that the majority of retailers had a tertiary level of education with most involved in mobile money business. They served customers with low average incomes with small amounts transacted. There were no insurance organizations in their vicinity. A majority of retailers had a negative perception towards insurance largely influenced by what they heard from other people. The preference of a particular insurance company was largely determined by faster claims settlement. Life assurance was considered the easiest to sell with preference to the use of the mobile phone in transacting insurance. This was further supported with the endorsement of mobile money as the preferred mode of claims settlement. Keywords: Cash Based Retailers, Alternative Distribution Channels, Micro-insurance. Title: CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTES OF CASH BASED RETAILERS AS AN ALTERNATIVE DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL FOR MICRO-INSURANCE IN KENYA Author: JUSTUS TARI International Journal of Novel Research in Marketing Management and Economics ISSN 2394-7322 Vol. 13, Issue 3, September 2026 - December 2026 Page No: 33-42 Novelty Journals Website: www.noveltyjournals.com Published Date: 10-September-2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22688509 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/CHARACTERIZATION%20OF%20THE%20DEMOGRAPHIC-10092026-4.pdf