APA Insurance, in partnership with SunCulture, Humanity Insured and IBISA, has paid out over KShs. 1.9 million to 1,736 farmers affected by rainfall shortages between October and December 2025, marking one of the first large-scale, real-world validations of climate insurance for smallholder farmers in Kenya, just months after the solution was introduced.
The payout, which supported farmers out of 2,083 covered during the period, highlights the growing reality of climate volatility and the immediate need for financial protection mechanisms that respond quickly and effectively when weather shocks occur.
Launched in October 2025, SunCulture Protect – Climate Insurance has already covered farmers through two distinct risk seasons, Excess Rainfall and Rainfall Shortage,demonstrating its ability to respond across both extremes of climate risk.
Built directly into SunCulture’s Pay-As-You-Grow (PSYG) solar irrigation model, the insurance requires no separate enrolment, ensuring farmers are automatically protected from the moment they invest in irrigation. By removing complexity, the solution provides farmers immediate cover and allows them to focus on productivity, confident that financial protection is in place when climate risks arise.
Using satellite-based rainfall monitoring, the cover triggers automatically when predefined thresholds for rainfall shortage or excess rainfall are met. For farmers still repaying their irrigation systems, payouts reduce outstanding loan balances, helping prevent financial distress. For those who have completed payments, funds are disbursed directly to mobile wallets, ensuring immediate liquidity to stabilise farm operations.
Ashok Shah, Group CEO, Apollo Investments, said: “This payout is proof that climate insurance can provide farmers protection. Within months of launch, farmers have already experienced both excessive rainfall and rainfall shortage and this solution has responded exactly as it should. It is practical, immediate, and designed for the realities farmers face today.”
Beyond financial protection, farmers benefit from integration into SunCulture’s broader digital ecosystem, which provides tools to monitor loan status, track insurance cover, and access climate-smart insights. Supported in part by Humanity Insured, this ecosystem helps farmers make informed decisions, manage risks proactively, and improve long-term productivity.
Samir Ibrahim, CEO, SunCulture, said:“This is the reality of farming today, climate shocks are happening in real time. The fact that farmers have already received payouts for rainfall shortage so soon after launch shows how critical it is to embed protection directly into the farming journey. This is about resilience, but also about continuity of income.” Charlie Langdale, CEO, Humanity Insured, added.
Maria Mateo, CEO, IBISA, said:“What matters most is speed and certainty. Farmers cannot afford delays when crops fail. This payout demonstrates that technology-driven insurance can deliver immediate, transparent support exactly when it is needed.”
“This is a clear example of impact at scale, delivered quickly. Supporting farmers through both drought and excess rainfall within the first seasons shows how powerful this model can be in strengthening resilience across agricultural communities.”
Currently serving 3,444 SunCulture clients, the programme is expected to expand across additional markets, reaching tens of thousands of farmers in the coming years. By combining trusted insurance, accessible financing, and practical tools, the partnership is setting a new standard for climate risk protection, simple, scalable, and built for the realities of today.
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