Dr. Susan Gitau challenges leaders to establish Community Mental Health Centres in every constituency

Mental health professionals are calling for urgent action to make counselling services more accessible to Kenyans, especially those living in poor neighbourhoods where cases of depression, drug abuse and suicides are on the rise.

Dr. Susan Gitau, Director of the Dr. Susan Gitau Counselling Foundation, has challenged government officials and elected leaders to prioritise community-based mental health centres. She argued that while hospitals and rehabilitation facilities are costly to establish, community counselling centres only require modest infrastructure but can save lives.

“Every constituency should actually have its own community counselling centre because very few Kenyans can afford counselling services. Starting such a centre only needs goodwill and sacrifice from leaders. With just a few rooms, you can offer vital services such as rescue shelters, education programmes, and family support,” Dr. Gitau said.

She was speaking during the graduation of 35 community volunteer counsellors and interns from universities and colleges across Kenya, who received certificates in mindful self-compassion. The Muungano Community Counsellors Group, whose education has been sponsored by her foundation since March 2025, has been equipping community volunteers and young professionals with skills to respond to rising mental health needs.

Dr. Gitau linked poverty to higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorders, noting that people in low-income neighbourhoods often suffer the most.

“In poor neighbourhoods, you have more mental health issues than in wealthy ones. Those who can afford food, rent, and basic needs are shielded from daily stress, unlike the poor who struggle to survive,” she explained.

Dr. Gitau emphasised that devolving mental health services would empower communities to respond to these challenges before they escalate.

“Leaders have budgets. The question is, how are they reducing atrocities linked to mental health? How are they empowering communities to deal with depression and trauma? Community counsellors are already working, but they need support,” she said.

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Laikipia, Nairobi and Kiambu counties have all reported rising cases of youth drug abuse, with health officials linking them to gaps in psychosocial support and limited rehabilitation services. Experts warn that without scaling up grassroots interventions, Kenya risks a worsening mental health crisis.

Dr. Gitau called for leaders at both county and national levels to use their Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) to set up centres in every constituency, noting that such facilities would be more cost-effective than hospitals while offering prevention, treatment and rehabilitation under one roof.

“Everybody has a right to access and receive mental health services. The beauty of a community counselling centre is that it becomes a hub for all these needs. It’s time leaders stopped talking and started acting,” she said.

Statistics show the urgency of the problem. According to the Ministry of Health, one in five patients seeking medical attention is battling a mental health condition, while one in four hospital admissions involves patients with psychiatric issues. Experts also link the rise in drug and alcohol abuse, gender-based violence, homicides and suicides to untreated mental health disorders.

Kenya records an estimated 500 suicides annually, with young people and men disproportionately affected. The World Health Organization has warned that depression is now among the leading causes of disability in the country.