Mental Health in Kenya

Kenya and it’s people suffer from a range of different problems and issues such as poverty, conflict, war, displacement, diseases like HIV/AIDS, famine but there is one huge problem that faces Kenya but continues to be silently forgotten; MENTAL HEALTH.

This prevalent concern in Kenya is caused by the pervasive culture of denial, silence and stigmatisation that surrounds mental health issues.

So when a man, who openly confessed that he suffers from mental illness, approached us whilst we were having lunch, it came as a bit of a surprise. And, what he went onto tell us was even more shocking. He told us that he is the chairman of the Kenya Mental Hospital Patients Association Agitating For Human Rights of Mental Patients. He told us that he was a long term sufferer of Schizophrenia and that he continues to receive psychiatric treatment.

He showed and later gave me a copy of a letter to which he had addressed to The President, members of the Ministry of Health, and the Law Society of Kenya- to name a few. The subject of the letter was: Complaint on insane Injustice to Mental Patients by the Kenyan Government and Unconstitutional dismissal from Public Service. The letter further described his condition, for example that he has a history of being very violent, and the experiences and sufferings he had endured as someone who is mentally ill.

Some of the experiences and sufferings he mentioned were deeply concerning and show the extent of the issue regarding mental health in Kenya.

• I was diagnosed as suffering from mental illness of schizophrenia.
• Mental Patients have been subjected to insane injustice by the ministry of Health.
• I was arrested… by two police officers as a clerical officer with a known case of schizophrenia and unlawfully confined in the cells of Kilifi police station.
• Unlawfully dismissed as a clerical officer.
• My unlawful conviction of 6 months in Voi law court was malicious prosecution as mental patient contrary to section 12 of the penal code.
• I escaped from a government mental institution
• Mental institutions have always had pathetic conditions
• I was once subjected to electrical shock treatment which was medically wrong.
• Subjected to insane injustice contrary to the mental health act of 1989.
• Mental health patients were given a drug that was banned in the USA and Britain due to its nasty side effects in 1992.
• There has been a chronic shortage of drugs
• Female mental patients are sexually harassed by a male psychiatric nurses
• I have not remarried since the death of my wife sue to social stigma associated with mental illness.

The purpose of the letter in which he outlined was that he intended to sue the cabinet secretary for health and government proceedings act and that he was demanding mental health compensation of KSH 20,000,000.

This is just one example of the concerns surrounding mental health in Kenya and shows the extent of the mistreatment and stigma which creates so many injustices for people living with these illnesses. Whilst the Kenyan government and some of its people are working to eradicate theses issues, they still have a very long way to go.

 

 

Education For Girls and Boys

Today was awesome!

Education is without doubt the most important thing a child can be given.

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela.

So today we had the opportunity to have a session with a class of final year primary school students. The aim was to empower, encourage, and make them realise the importance of education.

The response was great, the children were lively, responsive- even though they didn’t always understand me, and my hope is that from that class of around 50- if at least one child goes on to university or further education then this has been a huge success.

Another important success was being able to facilitate the distribution of 300 reusable sanitary towels. Girls, particularly in rural parts of Kenya, often find that they are forced to leave school or cannot continue on to secondary or further education. As a result this contributes to inequality in society, where women may be viewed as less compared to men- because they face these obstacles to receiving education.

Thanks to another NGO from America, who via Tesia Isanga, we were able to distribute these pieces, meaning the girls can continue going to school and receive the education they deserve.

We hope to continue working with the local primary schools and empower and encourage more children to continue their education!