This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
On November 21, 2019, President Kenyatta directed the Ministry of Health to establish a taskforce to investigate the status of mental health in Kenya.
The taskforce, which will be required to submit its findings within 90 days, will aim to establish the current state of mental health among Kenyans and develop policies to address the growing concerns.
"The President directed the Ministry of Health to establish a taskforce on the status of mental health in the country and come up with new policies needed to address the growing concerns about mental health among Kenyans," State House said in a statement.
The move comes amid a surge in homicide cases in the country, which experts have linked to mental health issues among Kenyans.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i expressed his concern over the rising cases of killings, stating, "What we are witnessing is not normal. I feel the responsibility of it as a leader. We can’t live this way where we are butchering our wives and murdering children in an unprecedented manner. There is nothing that justifies this. There is nothing cultural about this. It is something we have to deal with urgently,"
Additionally, the Cabinet approved the elevation of Nairobi's Mathari Hospital to a Level IV facility, with plans to establish it as a national teaching and referral hospital.
