The Mt Kenya Times 
By Mary K. Ngethe
Mental health can no longer sit at the margins of Kenya health agenda.
It interacts with other health agenda like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, ebola, maternal health, HIV, gender-based violence among others. Indeed, mental health could the foundation of resilience in the well-being of family and community health systems.
For Central Kenya Development Network, (CKDN), this means mental health must increasingly be part of the conversations community and church leaders are having in order to have health equity in community leadership and meaningful participation.
Mental Health and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
Kenya’s current National-Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) strategy is the Kenya National NCD Strategic Plan 2021/22-2025-26, developed by the Ministry of Health to guide prevention, control, financing and policy alignment for NCDs.
In this Strategic Plan, the diseases pointed out include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Mental health conditions, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases, among others.
It is very commendable that the Ministry of health has set the agenda for all health sector players to make mental health core in the health debate. Research in Kenya is urgently needed to establish the role of mental well being in prevention, management and treatment of all communicable and non-communicable diseases.
CKDN marks Mental Health Day, 2026
CKDN joined partners and communities across Kenya in marking of Mental Health Day 2026 last Saturday when the nation also marked Mazingira Day.
We in CKDN hereby calls for something fundamental: People with lived experience must not simply be invited to tell their stories. Their knowledge and experience in their mental health journey should help shape policies, programs, services, and the decisions that affect their lives.
People must be empowered to share their stories without fearing the effect of stigma, families must be told that mental unwellness is as much a disease as any other, and people must be sensitized to embrace people with mental health challenges as “Sick People” just like other people sick with cancer or diabetes.
The notion of a person with mental health challenges being labeled as “Bewitched” should, and must be re-labeled with a person suffering from a noncommunicable disease, that can be treated or managed.
In CKDN, the Social & Economic Directorate has developed a program to specifically focus on non-communicable diseases, among them, mental health.
To mark Mental health Day 2026, the directorate launched a 6-month project to increase public awareness and education on NCDs. This will run from November 2026 to April 2027. The information will be channeled through mainstream media and social media, and any other platform available.
The theme is “Prevention is better than cure”.
Before a person is diagnosed with diabetes, the disease has developed over a period of time, during which, the person would have embraced a lifestyle change to prevent the onset.
Call to Action
CKDN will maintain an article on NCDs in this E-paper once a week for the 6-month period to raise awareness and educate readers on the urgent need to change lifestyle in order to prevent onset of an NCD.
NCDs are preventable, and a person with a stable mental health reading this article will embrace the message, change his or her lifestyle, and save the family resources that would otherwise be used to treat a preventable illness.
If you can prevent Ebola, you have even more power to prevent an NDC.
Have a healthy mental wellness for better overall health, for yourself and your family. The community will benefit.
The author is the program director with Central Kenya Development Network. She is also a certified life coach and professional mediator, all aimed at having peaceful persons, peaceful families and peaceful communities. She aims to spearhead creation of Heaven in Homes. She can reached via +254722652111 or marykaraungethe@gmail.com
Similar Posts by The Mt Kenya Times:
- Tesla Roadster finally arrives, and it may just leave the ground
- No ID, no voter’s card, but loud online
- How the milk crisis is hitting Kenya’s dairy shelves
- The pain of being poor in a world that worships money
- When survival becomes a daily struggle
About the Author
