Fresh details have emerged regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of Sedgwick Insurance Brokers CEO Sammy
Sedgwick CEO Jumped to His Death a Day Before DCI Grilling Over Ksh 240 Million KPC Insurance Tender
Fresh details have emerged regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of Sedgwick Insurance Brokers CEO Sammy Methu Kiragu at 4th Avenue Towers on Fourth Ngong Avenue, Nairobi, on Tuesday afternoon.
Reports now reveal that Kiragu was under investigation over allegations of fraud linked to a Ksh240 million insurance tender at the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC).
Sedgwick Kenya Insurance Brokers had initially won the tender after submitting the lowest financial bid. The company received an official notification on June 7, 2023, and a formal award letter on June 21, 2023.
It accepted the award in writing on June 26, 2023, and forwarded confirmation of cover from Old Mutual General Insurance Kenya Limited as the underwriter on September 7, 2023.
However, KPC later awarded the contract to Four M Insurance Brokers Limited on September 7, 2023, and signed the deal on October 2, 2023.
Sedgwick challenged this decision before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB), which ruled in its favour on November 2, 2023, nullifying KPC’s award to Four M.
Four M then moved to the High Court in a judicial review application.
The court ruled that Sedgwick’s bid was non-compliant as it lacked the financial capacity to honour its bid terms. It found that Sedgwick had attempted to adjust its pricing after winning the tender, a violation of procurement laws.
The ruling cited breaches of Section 167(1) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act and Section 20 of the Insurance Act, stating that Sedgwick’s bid was tainted with illegality.
The court upheld KPC’s decision to award the tender to Four M.
Investigators later established that Sedgwick had colluded with UAP Old Mutual Insurance Company Limited to manipulate premium adjustments to match market prices.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) opened an inquiry under file number 185/2024.
Senior officials from UAP Old Mutual had already recorded statements, and Sedgwick executives were due for questioning when Kiragu died.
A letter from the Insurance Fraud Investigations Unit, dated February 18, 2025, summoned UAP representatives to explain their role in the tendering process.
The letter stated that preliminary investigations had revealed an agreement between Sedgwick and UAP Old Mutual to adjust premiums to fit a predetermined figure of USD 1,911,755.66.
Kiragu was scheduled to appear before investigators on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, a day after his death.
The Sedgwick CEO jumped from the seventh floor of 4th Avenue Towers on Tuesday afternoon, despite the firm operating from the 14th floor. He died on the spot.
Police arrived at the scene, processed it, and moved the body to the mortuary pending a post-mortem examination.
Sources suggest that pressure from the ongoing probe may have contributed to his suicide.
Sedgwick Insurance Brokers has not issued any public statement on the matter.
Police have confirmed that investigations into Kiragu’s death are ongoing.
