By Julian Onyango

When I look back at the number of challenges I faced along my recovery journey, I can’t fail to appreciate how far we have come as a country, and the strides we are making to improve investment in mental health.

I vividly recall the strain of spending a significant chunk of my income on counselling services and medication. In addition to this, my regular absence from work putting me in bad books with my employer, taking into consideration that I was working in a setting where my employer neither had the knowledge nor clear policies to accommodate issues of mental health being faced by employees like myself.

It is for this reason that June 28, 2022, will remain a significant date in my life as I had the opportunity to not only attend but also address stakeholders during the launch of the Kenya Mental Health Investment Case 2021 by the Ministry of Health. This is a document that provides the much-needed evidence for the long-term health, social and economic benefits of investment in mental health in Kenya.

As a person with a lived experience of having a mental health condition, I appreciate this move as I fully understand the burden of mental health to me as an individual and to my family by extension. The launch of this investment case is a great step, as it enables us as a country see the value of investing in mental health, with a clearer picture on the return on investment.

For a long time, government as well as private sector players have never fully appreciated the correlation between mental health and productivity gains. Case in point, the findings from this report reveal that mental ill-health significantly contributes to lost productivity due to premature mortality, absenteeism as well as presenteeism – which is a fancy way of saying the act of showing up for work without being productive, generally because ill-health prevents it. These findings thus clearly demonstrate the impact of mental health on the socioeconomic state of our country.

I therefore encourage every Kenyan to take time and read this document as it provides invaluable guidance to stakeholders on how they can invest and what the return on investment would be. This is information that does not just benefit the country from a national perspective but also has benefits at the corporate level and at individual basis.

Some of the key things that stand out for me include the need for more investment in research on mental health, service provision, training for mental health practitioners and revamping efforts on anti-stigma campaigns, as this is currently a huge barrier that limits access to services through hindering treatment seeking behavior.

Personally, I think that it would be a huge win if mental health services could be decentralized to community level so that we don’t just keep referring cases to Mathare Hospital. It would be great if I could be able to receive mental health services at my local health center in my rural home anytime the need arises. This however can only be possible if there are enough resources committed to mental health at county level.

At this point in time, I believe we as a country have plenty of evidence to back investment in mental health. We have a plethora of guiding documents such as the Kenya Mental Health Policy 2015 – 2030, the Mental Health Task Force Report, the Kenya Mental Health Action Plan 2021 – 2025, the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2021 – 2026 and now the recently passed Mental Health Amendment Bill 2020, that now provides the legal framework that was highly being sought.

I am confident that we now have a clear picture of the resources that need to be put in, in order to achieve the results that we need in ensuring the wellbeing for all Kenyans.

35-year-old Julian Onyango is a mental health champion volunteering with Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya in an anti-stigma initiative which is part of the Comic Relief & UK aid Mental Health Programme. He is also a husband, father of five, and an avid fitness buff.