Nakuru: As part of its long-term plans on ensuring mental health is well taken care of, Nakuru County’s Department of Health is poised to partner with the Shamiri Institute to implement a mental health support network targeting adolescents and young people across the county.
According to Kenya News Agency, the collaboration seeks to enhance awareness on mental wellness, emotional resilience, stress management, and early intervention among learners. The initiative will leverage Shamiri Institute’s evidence-based and youth-centered approach to mental healthcare, which focuses on accessible, affordable, and preventive mental health services for adolescents and young people.
With 334 secondary schools and an estimated student population exceeding 200,000 learners, Nakuru County presents a significant opportunity for scalable mental health intervention within learning institutions and the community. In his remarks, the organization’s Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives, Kevin Githunguri, noted that the partnership is expected to promote psychosocial support, peer mentorship, and capacity building for teachers, healthcare workers, and community stakeholders to create a supportive environment that nurtures the wellbeing and academic success of learners across the county.
Shamiri is an award-winning leader in youth-led mental healthcare and has built one of the world’s most cost-effective care models for youth mental health. It is partnering with other organizations and county governments to build systems that will scale up effective care to millions of young people who need it. The partnership with the County government will ensure that mental health issues are identified and addressed early, fostering a supportive environment for students’ mental well-being.
Mental health has long been one of the most under-resourced areas within primary health care, but Nakuru County is committed to changing the narrative by integrating mental health into primary health care and strengthening its health workforce to handle mental health issues. In this regard, the Nakuru County Department of Health is continually undertaking mental health awareness and team-building programs, targeting Community Health Assistants (CHAs) and Community Health Promoters (CHPs).
The initiative underscores the County’s proactive strategy to safeguard the psychological well-being of the frontline workforce driving primary healthcare at the grassroots level. Governor Susan Kihika’s administration, recognizing that community health workers face unique occupational stressors, is focused heavily on mental health literacy, stress management, burnout prevention, and emotional resilience, as well as the importance of accessing psychosocial support mechanisms.
The health workers were also equipped with skills in effective communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, and building healthy working relationships to enhance service delivery at the community level. This specialized training has already significantly enhanced local capacity to identify, support, and refer individuals experiencing mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, while actively reducing healthcare stigma within villages.
