• Survivors of Sexual Violence in Kenya urged the government to declare mental health a national emergency.
• The Act enumerates the rights of persons with mental illness including the right to protection from sexual exploitation.
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The increase in cases of sexual and gender-based violence during the pandemic period has expanded the requirement for mental health care.
This is particularly for survivors of sexual violence who are in dire need of trauma-informed, survivor-centric services.
11 organisations lauded the enactment of the Mental Health Amendment Bill 2022 last week on Friday.
This comes at a time when President Uhuru Kenyatta signed, into law, the Mental Health Bill on June 22.
A press statement issued by Survivors of Sexual Violence in Kenya, urged the government to declare mental health a national emergency.
The signing of the statement was witnessed by Survivors of Sexual Violence in Kenya, SHOFCO, Gay Trust Kenya, Health Rights Advocacy Forum, Grace Agenda, Wangu Kanja Foundation, Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development, HealthRight Kenya, Physicians for Human Rights, Coalition Action for Preventive Mental Health and Centre for Rights Education and Awareness Kenya.
They said that under the new law, survivors of sexual violence are entitled to access affordable mental health services in different facilities.
The Act enumerates the rights of persons with mental illness including the right to protection from sexual exploitation.
Among key provisions, the Mental Health Amendment Act revises previous legislation ( Mental Health Act, Cap 248 ) to align the country’s mental health laws with the provisions of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the Health Act, 2017.
The lobby group called on both the national and county governments to put in place mechanisms including a strategy, plan of action and policies to promote the realisation of the rights of persons with mental illness.
They also called on the national government to urgently put in place the regulations to facilitate the operationalisation of the Act.
They urged the county governments to allocate funds necessary for the provision of mental healthcare and to expedite the establishment of county mental health councils.
The group pushed both governments further to ensure the dissemination of the Act across the country, spreading awareness of its provisions among healthcare providers and the public at large.
The organisations also recommended the coordination, pooling of resources and collective implementation by civil society governing bodies.
They urged that continued civil society partnership is necessary to ensure the Act is implemented for the benefit of all citizens.
The organisations congratulated Nominated Senator Sylvia Kasanga for sponsoring the bill and also rooting for its enactment into law.