ENACTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH POLICY FOR KENYA

WE THE UNDERSIGNED WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM(S), WITH RECOMMENDATION(S):  

We the stakeholders of Mental Health and Development in Kenya are filing this petition,regarding the issue of poor infrastructure for treatment and aftercare for people with mental disorders at the levels I and 2 of primary health care, and lack of allocation of adequate resources towards mental health development in the national budget. This is an issue of supreme importance because (Insert statistic of how many Kenyans live with mental illness/related).

Over 25% of the 38 million Kenyans live with at least one mental health disorder as per some site studies.  Only a minute budget is allocated to mental health which is 0.001 of the national health budget.

The mandate of the Ministry of medical services is to promote and participate in provision of integrated and high quality promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care services to all Kenyans. It is in keeping with this responsibility that we the stakeholders of Mental Health Development in Kenya demand that mechanisms for the following be put in place immediately;

 

  1. Completion of a National Mental Health Policy and revision of the Mental Health ACT (Cap 248) in accordance to Article 25 of the UNCRPD (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) which Kenya signed on 2007, March 3rdand ratified on 2008, May 19th which is explicit about the Right to health by people with disabilities including psychosocial disabilities where mental disorders fall under.