internet/cell phone provider,car/health insurance

Hello,

For mobile (cell) phone providers, Safaricom have the best coverage and also offer MPESA, which is a mobile banking platform that allows cashless payment for the majority of goods and services.  Other providers such as Airtel (Safaricom's main competitor) also have mobile banking, but no where near as good, or well developed.

Internet;  I just tend to buy data bundles and tether the phone.  4G is available and prices reasonable.  There are also companies such as Faiba, which provide broadband services and may be worth investigating.

Car insurance;  Prices tend not to vary that much as insurance is set at a % of the value of the vehicle (assessed at the time of insuring the vehicle).  It is something like 8%, with a discount if you have no claims within the period you are insured (calculated on an annual basis).  You really have to shop around.  Look out for what the policy covers (eg. windscreen cover, stereo cover) and check whether or not these are extras.  Cheap often doesn't mean good, as getting a payout could be problematic from a 'budget' company.  We used to be with Kenindia - they were very good at paying out following an accident, but certainly aren't the cheapest.  Google and shop around would be my suggestion.  Bear in mind that for popular makes of car, theft of lights, mirrors and so on are common, often while you are in the car, sitting in traffic - which you will do a lot of, if you drive in Nairobi. 

Incidentally, the cost of purchasing a vehicle, in Kenya is high - it would be difficult to get a good family car for less the Ksh 1 million ($10,000).  If you plan to bring one with you, check the import rules.  You can enter Kenya with a vehicle, duty free for max 6 months, then the vehicle has to be exported, or duty paid.  Some exceptions apply, such as foreign military, diplomats, UN staff.

Health insurance:  A good idea, as public health care is limited and private healthcare (particularly in Nairobi) is hugely costly, largely driven be greed, rather than a genuine interest in treating you!  These days, you need to put down a massive deposit - Ksh 300,000 plus to be admitted to the better private hospitals.  Jubilee is meant to be amongst the best health insurance companies.  We used to be with AAR, but when they refused to pay out for a procedure (having advised that they would), I cannot recommend them.  Most companies have a number of levels of cover  - you can go online and contact them to get prices.  In 2015 we were paying around Ksh 250,000 per year for cover for two adults and a child.  Going for the lowest level of cover may not be the best option, if the unexpected occurs, such as a car accident. 

Look out for doctors trying to perform unnecessary procedures, or prescribing costly drugs that you don't really need - both are quite common in Kenya and all about money, playing on people's general lack of health knowledge.

"Bear in mind that for popular makes of car, theft of lights, mirrors and so
on are common, often while you are in the car, sitting in traffic - which you
will do a lot of, if you drive in Nairobi."

In such circumstances, is the possession and carrying of firearms legal - or possible?
Here in my country it is legal. Thank you Frau Merkel for the great chaos that
you have triggered by their economic refugee influx!

Internet on >>>umts hsdpa 2g 3g is available, and, what type of wired internet
is provided in Kenya? Analog, isdn, dsl, dsl2, dsl2+, digital, fibre channel (sdsl)?
I mean a real internet connection and not that fussy access over a smartphone.
I dont have a smartphone as they are more meant to play then to make calls.

my five cents

"In such circumstances, is the possession and carrying of firearms legal - or possible?
Here in my country it is legal. Thank you Frau Merkel for the great chaos that
you have triggered by their economic refugee influx!"

No you cant carry firearms in Kenya without a licence and it is difficult to get one.  If you were to start shooting at people who are attempting to steal small parts from your car, or even to get out of your car to accost them, you wouldn't last five minutes.  If you aren't physically beaten, you'd be arrested.  Its the reason why Kenyans take steps to prevent those parts being taken, or if they are taken, drivers know better than to get out of their cars.

By the way, what has Faru Merkel got to do this this?  It is Kenya we are talking about here.

Wired internet is not very widely available.  4G is available via mobile networks such as Safaricom.  You certainly could get a dongle, if you don't like smartphones.  Personally, I use a smartphone tethered to the computer to get a fast connection wherever I happen to be.  I am not the most tech savvy person, yet I can tether the phone in a matter of seconds, so I don't think that its fussy at all.

I want see  that watching a movie with 4-600MB size thru a smartphone
and thethering. The phone battery will be drained so fast that its empty in the middle of the movie... and im not watching only one per day.
I have to repeat clearly no fussy connections for low volume usage.
My demand is high-volume internet usage, the chipsets in smartphones are not designed for high data traffic. So it is fussy. You need a modem. Period.