This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
Kenya: Uhuru Directs Task Force on Mental Health, Allocates Resources ¶
President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Health to establish a task force on mental health in Kenya, with the aim of addressing growing concerns about mental health among Kenyans.
The task force is expected to come up with new policies needed to address the growing concerns about mental health among Kenyans, and its findings will be discussed in Cabinet within 90 days.
The Cabinet has also approved the establishment of Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital and the designation of Gilgil Hospital as a satellite mental health facility of Mathari.
The President's directive came as the Kenya Annual Mental Health conference got underway on Thursday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a key component of health, defined as a state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not mere absence of infirmity.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Susan Mochache, officiated the conference, emphasizing the need for strategic positioning of mental health in the country's agenda and mobilization of resources to address the disparities.
Experts warn that about 4.7 million people are suffering from depression and other forms of mental illnesses in Kenya, translating to one in every four persons.
The World Health Organization has warned that half of mental illness begins by the age of 14, but most cases go undetected.
President Kenyatta's directive is part of the government's efforts to address the challenges facing the mental health sector, including the pervasive culture of denial, silence and stigma that surrounds mental health.
The government has adopted the Quality Rights Mental Health initiative, launched on Wednesday, aimed at transforming mental health and promoting human rights for people with mental disorders.
The initiative is an undertaking by the government to transform services in the country to be in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
"For a long time, people living with mental disorders have suffered historical injustices and it's high time the society recognizes their rights," stated Nominated Senator Sylvia Kasanga.
"The fastest way we can get this initiative out and about is through teaches and schools, because we know the issues surrounding mental health issues on the adolescents and the youth," she added.
