About Modela
A Kenyan insurtech intermediary making index insurance work for smallholders, pastoralists and the partners they already trust.
Most Kenyan farmers have no safety net
Smallholders and pastoralists feed the country, yet fewer than 3% have any agricultural insurance. One bad season can wipe out inputs, livestock and credit history.
Modela exists to close that gap — not by building another field army, but by embedding simple, trigger-based cover into the SACCOs, agro-dealers, chamas and digital channels farmers already use.
of Kenyan farms are smallholder operated
agricultural insurance penetration in Kenya
can erase years of savings and credit access
Our mission
To make index insurance the invisible layer beneath every productive farming decision — paid for by farmers, delivered by partners, and backed by regulated underwriters.
Our vision
A Kenya where a verified insurance record is as normal as a harvest, and where one drought does not decide a family's next five years.
Licensed intermediation
Modela is preparing to operate as a Kenyan insurance intermediary under the Insurance Regulatory Authority. We place all risk with regulated underwriters and reinsurers and keep client money in segregated programme accounts.
Off-balance-sheet by design
We do not underwrite insurance risk and we do not carry a loan book. Our balance sheet carries technology, partner relationships and a consent-first farmer-data asset — not risk assets.
Our values
Earned trust
We operate through partners farmers already know. No hidden commissions, no surprise exclusions.
Partner-carried scale
Distribution, education and premium collection happen inside existing rural finance networks.
Consent first
Every farmer confirms cover personally. Data is only shared when they explicitly agree.
Transparent triggers
Payouts are decided by public satellite, weather or area-yield data — not an assessor's opinion.
Insurance has not reached the people who need it most
Smallholders and pastoralists face drought, flood, pests and disease every season. When a shock hits, they lose inputs, animals and access to credit — often with no way back.
- Fewer than 3% of Kenyan farmers have crop or livestock insurance.
- Traditional claims are slow, paper-heavy and require proof of individual loss.
- Smartphone apps exclude farmers on basic phones or in low-connectivity areas.
Index insurance through trusted local channels
Modela plugs government-backed index cover into the organisations farmers already use. Enrolment, premium collection and payouts are handled by SMS, USSD and M-Pesa.
Bring cover to the farmers and members you serve
If your SACCO, cooperative, agro-dealer network or digital platform reaches rural Kenya, Modela can help you offer insurance without taking underwriting risk.