Kenya faces constrained by limited funding in implementation of mental health policy

BY ERIC ABUGA

𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 has e𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞d an a𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 c𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 s𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 f𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 n𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 m𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 h𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 s𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲.

The National Advisory Committee for the National Baseline Mental Health Survey is a landmark initiative that will provide Kenya with its first nationally representative data on mental health conditions.

Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth says that while Kenya has a mental health policy, implementation has been constrained by limited resources.

He cited the 2021 Mental Health Investment Case, which stressed the need for targeted funding to expand services and close the treatment gap.

“The survey will generate national estimates, establish a baseline for monitoring progress, and inform policy, resource allocation, and service delivery,” said Dr Amoth.

The committee will be chaired by Dr Amoth will provide oversight and strategic direction. Dr. Bashir Issak, Head of Family Health, who represented Dr Amoth during the launch said the survey addresses a critical gap highlighted by the 2020 Taskforce on Mental Health, which noted the absence of comprehensive national statistics on prevalence, treatment gaps, and socio-economic determinants.

In attendance were Ms. Khatra Ali, Director of Health Services; Dr. Mercy Karanja, Head of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health; and Prof. Lukoye Atwoli, Dean of the Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa, among others.