Claim compensation for an injury at work (WIBA)
Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services, State Department for Labour and Skills Development · sources read 2 Oct 2026
Tell your employer right away: they must report the accident to the DOSHS county office on a DOSH 1 form within 7 days (24 hours if someone died). DOSHS investigates, and the claim is paid under the Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA). The service is free.
- Fee
- We couldn't confirm a fee from the official page. Check it there before you pay.
- How long
- About 14 working days to process the claim and send the employer a demand note, after DOSHS gets the DOSH 1 form
- Deadline
- Report the accident to your employer within 12 months, or you can lose the right to compensation (unless the employer already knew about it).
- Deadline
- Objection to a DOSHS decision: within 60 days of the decision
- Deadline
- The Director must reply to your objection in writing within 14 days.
- Deadline
- Still unhappy: appeal to the Employment and Labour Relations Court within 30 days of getting the reply.
- Where
- Through your employer, at the DOSHS county office where the accident happened (offices in 29 counties; headquarters at Safety House, Industrial Area, Nairobi)
What you need
- DOSH 1 form (Notice of an occupational accident or disease), Part 1 filled by the employer
- Medical report on Part II of the DOSH 1 form, filled by the doctor treating you
- Proof of any pay you received while you were off work because of the injury
- If the worker died: a copy of the death certificate
Steps
- Tell your employer about the accident. They must send a DOSH 1 form to the DOSHS county office within 7 days, or within 24 hours if the accident was fatal.
- Your doctor fills in the medical report (Part II of DOSH 1), including any lasting incapacity, and the form goes to the county Occupational Safety and Health Officer.
- A DOSHS officer investigates the accident and writes a report. That report is the basis of your WIBA compensation.
- DOSHS processes the claim and sends a demand note to your employer to pay. When the claim is paid, a payment certificate (WIBA 7) is issued.
- If you disagree with the Director's decision, object in writing on form DOSH/WIBA 12 within 60 days.
Watch out
- If your employer has no WIBA insurance cover, the employer is still held responsible for your compensation.
- DOSHS charges nothing to process a work injury claim. Nobody should ask you to pay to file it.
- The accident investigation itself can take up to 30 days, so keep your hospital papers and a copy of the DOSH 1 form safe.
Who can apply
- Employees injured at work or who get an occupational disease, and the dependants of an employee who dies from one
Official sources (5)
- Occupational Safety and Health Services labour.go.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- Citizens' Service Delivery Charter (State Department for Labour and Skills Development) labour.go.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- ML/DOSH Form 1 (Rev 2018): Notice by employer of an occupational accident/disease of an employee labour.go.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- DOSH/WIBA/12: Form of objection to the decision of the Director labour.go.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- Work Injury Benefits Act (Cap. 236), No. 13 of 2007 new.kenyalaw.org · read 2 Oct 2026