Senator Sylvia Kasanga
By: Jerameel Kevins Owuor Odhiambo
Worth Noting:
- Senator Kasanga in an interview stated that she came up with the act due to “neglect of mental health which sees vulnerable citizens suffering from severe mental illnesses, yet they are not receiving treatment with the dignity that every citizen is entitled in the Constitution.”
- Access to mental healthcare, she said, should be integrated under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme via a community-based approach that will result in sensitization on mental health to dispel myths from facts.
- “I want to see a nation where there is no stigma towards mental health, where citizens prioritize their mental health,” she added. In a nutshell this act if implemented and let to see the light of day it will be a game changer unto the masses who have the said complication.
Let it go on record that Nominated Senator Sylvia Kasanga has just made her name engraved in the history of this country. This is courtesy of her contribution that made Mental Health Amendment Act a reality. It is imperative to note that this bill went through the various steps needed for any bill to be made law. Last week to be precise President Uhuru Kenyatta did assent to the bill which made it a law.
After the same was done, this is what Sylvia Kasanga stated in a post: ‘President Uhuru Kenyatta today signed into law ten parliamentary bills among them the 2022 Appropriation Bill, Supplementary Appropriation Bill and Finance Bill. Others were the 2021 Radiographers Bill; National Electronic Single Window Bill; Traffic Amendment Bill; National Government Development Fund Amendment Bill; Supreme Court Amendment Bill of 2022; County Allocation of Revenue Bill and the Mental Health Amendment Bill.’
Let me try and unpack the Mental Health Amendment Act so that you can get to know that it was worthwhile and by virtue that Honorable Sylvia Kasanga sponsored the said bill he deserves a pat on her back. Perhaps what is the effect of the Mental Health Amendment Act? The said assented act enshrines that persons suffering from mental illness will have a right to access quality health care, treatment and rehabilitation.
The assented law is also expected to promote recovery, enhance rehabilitation, safeguard rights and ensure integration of persons with mental illness into the community, besides reducing the impact of mental illness, including effects of stigma. While funding of mental health remains a problem, resulting in under-equipping and shortage of human resources, the Act proposes that “the National Government shall provide the necessary resources for the provision of mental health care and treatment at national referral health facilities.”
The Mental Health Act of 1993, which was in force, has often been faulted for not being aligned to the 2010 Constitution. Section 73 of the Health Act, 2017, provides for the establishment of legislation to protect the rights of any individual suffering from any mental disorder or condition. The Kenya Mental Health Policy 2015-2030 provide for a framework on interventions for security mental health systems reforms. But implementation has been slow due to lack of an up-to-date legislation to enforce it. It is against this backdrop that Senator Kasanga came up with the amendment act.
Senator Kasanga in an interview stated that she came up with the act due to “neglect of mental health which sees vulnerable citizens suffering from severe mental illnesses, yet they are not receiving treatment with the dignity that every citizen is entitled in the Constitution.” Access to mental healthcare, she said, should be integrated under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme via a community-based approach that will result in sensitization on mental health to dispel myths from facts. “I want to see a nation where there is no stigma towards mental health, where citizens prioritize their mental health,” she added. In a nutshell this act if implemented and let to see the light of day it will be a game changer unto the masses who have the said complication. Senator Kasanga name will remain deeply engraved in the history of this nation for her contribution in the mental health space.
Jerameel Kevins Owuor Odhiambo is a law student at University of Nairobi, Parklands Campus.
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