Kajiado: Kajiado County has commissioned community-based mental health champions in a bid to spearhead grassroots awareness, reduce stigma, and strengthen community support systems.
According to Kenya News Agency, the commissioning took place during the Kajiado Education Expo and Career Fair 2026, which brought together key stakeholders to advance a shared agenda on mental health, teenage pregnancies, and unemployment. Speaking at the event, Kajiado County Executive Committee Member for Education, Vocational Training, Youth and Sports, Janet Sereu, said the county is establishing peer support groups both in schools and within communities to encourage open discussions about mental health.
Sereu emphasized the importance of sharing when encountering mental health challenges, encouraging people to speak out about the problems they are facing. She noted that 25 trained peer-to-peer champions have already been deployed to grassroots levels across the county to help address mental health challenges within communities.
She added that students will benefit from mental wellness clubs in schools, where they will gain a deeper understanding of mental health and work towards reducing stigma. The clubs are designed to serve as safe havens free from stigma or shame, teaching students emotional literacy and equipping them with tools to cope with academic pressure, adolescence, and other challenges.
Out-of-school youth will also be engaged through mentorship programmes focusing on mental health, unemployment, and teenage pregnancies, which remain prevalent in Kajiado County. Kajiado County Director of Education, Dr. Martin Cheruiyot, noted that mental health challenges and negative perceptions significantly contribute to poor academic performance among learners. He highlighted that addressing these perceptions through mental health support could lead to improved performance in subjects often seen as difficult, such as mathematics.
