Mental healthcare gaps persist despite growing awareness

Kenya is making progress in recognising mental health concerns, yet gaps remain in turning that awareness into timely care and helping people recover and return to their families, workplaces and communities.

Shortage of specialists, uneven access to services and medicines, limited mental health data and weak continuity of care continue to complicate the journey from identifying a problem to achieving lasting recovery.

Speaking during the launch of Peponi Road Wellness Centre in Nairobi, formerly Oasis Mental Healthcare Services, on Thursday, founding director Dr David Bukusi said Kenya was getting better at identifying mental health concerns, although service delivery remained a major challenge.

“Do I think we’re getting better at identifying it? Yes, absolutely, yes,” Dr Bukusi said.

He said the country still faced a major shortage of mental health professionals, with not every county having a psychiatrist. “The need is huge,” he said. He also called for better data to map mental health conditions and guide planning.

“Not all counties in the country have a psychiatrist,” Dr Bukusi said, adding that shortages also affected psychologists and psychiatric clinical officers.

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The Ministry of Health has sought to strengthen the policy framework around mental health, with the Mental Health Act 2023 and the integration of mental health into primary healthcare forming part of wider reforms.

Dr Mercy Karanja, Head of the Ministry’s Division of Mental Health, said that about one in four people seeking medical care in Kenya presents with an underlying mental health condition. She said mental health services have also been incorporated into the national health insurance framework.

Karanja said the Government could not address the mental health burden alone, making collaboration with private providers important in expanding access, strengthening referrals, training health workers and improving care.

For experts, however, treatment should not end when symptoms improve.

Irene Gichohi, Head of Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy at the Ministry of Health, said rehabilitation should begin early rather than being treated as a final step before discharge.

“This discharge is not the end of the journey. It is actually the start of another journey,” she said.

She said recovery should include the ability to manage daily activities, return to work, communicate and interact with family members, workmates and the wider community.

“Recovery, for us, is being able to take care of themselves, being able to go back to work and how to behave at work, being able to actually interact with the family members, with the workmates, in the community,” Gichohi said.

President of the Kenya Psychiatric Association Dr Priscilla Makau said mental health care therefore needs professionals from different disciplines, including psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, physicians and social workers.

“The multidisciplinary approach is something that is key moving forward,” she said.

At Peponi, Director of Clinical Services Dr Margaret Makanyengo said the centre was developing standardised tools for psychiatric and psychological assessment, addiction counselling and monitoring clinical outcomes.

“We actually intend to do, using these tools, regular clinical audits, so we can track our data,” he said.

The audits are expected to examine areas including improvement, readmissions, relapse, length of stay and reasons why patients return for care.

Dr Bukusi said the facility was also adopting a broader approach to wellness, arguing that mental health cannot be separated from other aspects of a person’s life.

“We’re also now including in overall assessment, our financial health,” he said.

The centre has also introduced Accelerated Resolution Therapy, with Dr Bukusi saying practitioners have seen encouraging results in some patients with depression, anxiety, panic and substance use. He noted, however, that the facility was still documenting its outcomes.

Rachel Kiaritha, CEO of the Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association, said mental health support should also shift towards prevention, particularly in workplaces and communities.

“Can we do wellness programmes? Can we do psychological first aid? Can we do trauma-informed support, stress and burnout management?” she asked.

She said seeking psychological support should not be viewed as a sign of weakness.

“Seeking help is not a weakness. Seeking help is actually a strength,” Kiaritha said.

Peponi Road Wellness Centre launched its new identity and a 2026–2031 strategic plan during the Nairobi event. The plan focuses on expanding access and improving patient experience, strengthening institutional sustainability and partnerships, and using digital transformation and innovation to improve care.

For Dr Bukusi, the priority remains making care accessible to people who need it.

“Good thing is, there’s help available. Look for it,” he said.