Regional authorities up in arms against insurance defaulters

MWANZA regional authorities have vowed to deal with people, who ruin the insurance market by producing and selling fake motor insurance stickers in the region. Speaking during the launch of BRITAM, a new brand and tailor-made services to the lake zone last week in M,wanza city,  the Mwanza Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr John Mongela said that the government in the region would also take legal action against people who don’t insure their vehicles. “This is in spite of the fact that in Tanzania it is obligatory to insure motor vehicles for security of innocent victims in road accidents,” said Mr Mongela. Mr Mongela, however, cautioned people involved in the illegal business to stop it immediately because the insurance market is mostly built on the principle of good faith. He commended the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA) for its effort to control the sale of fake motor insurance stickers by establishing motor insurance sticker mobile application system. However, the system will check the validity of an individual insurance consumers if it covers via SMS once it is issued by an insurance company, Broker or agent. The TIRA Lake Zone Ag Manager, Mr Shaarif Hamad said that TIRA was at the time training insurance players countrywide and thereafter would sensitize the entire public on that system in terms of its application and benefits. He called on Insurance stakeholders to join hands in the fight against fake motor insurance stickers in the market because foul play reduces the public confidence. Also requiring attention was the issue of low awareness towards insurance services particularly in the rural areas, he said and added that according to the inspection done last month in Biharamulo District in Kagera Region, it was found that a large number of motor vehicles were not covered by insurance.