Kenya’s Counties Launch Bold Push to Make Mental Health Care Universal
- Kenya plans to integrate mental health services into all hospitals and clinics through a new county-led model, launched during the 8th Devolution Conference
- Thalia Psychotherapy’s approach utilises existing health facilities and trained professionals for rapid and cost-effective expansion
- The initiative is in line with national policy and could make Kenya a pioneer in African mental health care
Homa Bay, Kenya — The Devolution 2025 conference in Homa Bay has been touted as a hotbed of bold ideas.
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During the conference, a proposal to ensure that every hospital and clinic in Kenya has accessible mental health services emerged on the drawing board and sparked important conversations among county delegations.
The ambitious initiative, driven by Thalia Psychotherapy, trading locally as Mindful Kenya, aims to make mental health care a routine service integrated into Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system.
Speaking during the launch of the initiative at the conference, Mercy Mwende, chief operating officer at Thalia Psychotherapy, said mental health is not a luxury, but a necessity.
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“If a Kenyan walks into their nearest clinic, they should be able to get mental health support, without stigma, without huge costs, and without travelling hundreds of kilometres,” said Mwende in a press statement seen by TUKO.co.ke.
A simple but effective model
Mwende noted that Thalia utilises the existing Kenyan healthcare system, providing trained mental health specialists, digital screening tools, and operational support directly to hospitals and clinics.
This model also includes a self-sustaining revenue-sharing mechanism with health facilities, which allows counties to rapidly expand mental health services without the need for large new budgets.
She explained that the financial practicality is particularly attractive as devolved governments juggle numerous competing priorities.
The urgent need for mental health care
The COO warned that Kenya is in the midst of a silent mental health crisis, coupled with rising suicidal rates, widespread depression and anxiety, and increasing substance abuse, emphasising the urgent need for accessible support.
The Ministry of Health reports show that most Kenyans in need of mental health services are not receiving them due to high costs, stigmatisation, and distance from specialised care.
“For many rural Kenyans, the nearest psychiatrist could be hundreds of kilometres away. By embedding mental health care into local hospitals and dispensaries, Thalia’s model promises to make support available where people already seek medical care, dramatically reducing barriers,” she added.
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How new initiative help Kenya
The proposal resonates with Kenya’s national mental health policy and complements the government’s Universal Health Coverage agenda.
It also embodies the spirit of devolution by empowering counties to develop solutions tailored to their unique contexts.
County leaders attending the conference expressed keen interest, noting that it is the first time counties have seen a plan that can work within their budgets and reach the people fast.
Is Thalia Psychotherapy available outside Kenya?
Thalia Psychotherapy said it is already piloting similar programmes in Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Malawi.
Success in Kenya could position the country as a continental leader in integrating mental health services into primary health care.
The conference has ignited business and tourism in Homa Bay, with Tourism CS Rebecca Miano terming the county as the next tourism hotspot.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
