Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1073103,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1073103/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 277,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kasanga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13185,
        "legal_name": "Sylvia Mueni Kasanga",
        "slug": "sylvia-mueni-kasanga"
    },
    "content": "Kenyans are now fully awake and aware and they want to see something happening when it comes to mental health. It was part of the campaigns of this House and the voices of this House that moved the Government to have their first mental health conference, I remember in 2019. It is from that conference that the President gazetted a task force for mental health that went around collecting views from Kenyans on the status of mental health. They produced a good report, which I remember when we sat at the Ad hoc Committee of COVID-19, we had to insist that that report be made public because even after the work of the Committee had been done, the report had not yet been unveiled to Kenyans. When it was unveiled and presented to the President and made public, we were happy because the report did canvas, the length and the breadth of the issues of Kenyans. It actually called for the government to declare mental health a public emergency. That is just the extent and the weight of what it was, and of course, a raft of measures that could be taken in the short term and in the long term to deal with mental health issues. At the centre of it is funding and financing. Madam Temporary Speaker, that shows you that this country has come of age when it comes to tackling and accepting that we have a problem in the country and we must deal with it head on. I can tell you that as of today, the President has gazetted a mental health advisor for the President with Dr. Njenga who is a psychiatrist; we call him the father of psychiatry. It is because of him that the Ministry has come round to give support to the Bill, and they actually brought in their submissions when the submissions were being done in the second round. This just shows you a full cycle of where we have come. It is a proud moment for all the stakeholders, who have participated in putting this Bill together. It is one of the most comprehensive Bills. Because we are so far behind in implementing it, many conversations we are having right now is that there is still a lot that can be done in this country as we wait for this legal framework to be put in place. I like quoting and recognizing the work that has been done in Makueni County, for instance, where community based approach towards mental health is actually happening. It just takes the goodwill of a governor to realise that we have a situation here and we do not need to wait for the national Government or for Parliament to give us a framework in which our citizens can be helped and given access to these issues. Kisumu County is another one that is really working hard. They have a Directorate of Mental Health and they are working really hard to put out some policies where they can begin training even faith healers and herbalists to join in this campaign. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is a lot that still can be done as citizens, even as we wait for this very comprehensive legal framework to--- One of the things that I must say here on the Floor of the House, which has been requested for by stakeholders, is that we must recognise as Legislators that the best way to deal with mental health, the best practice so far that is working globally is approaching it from a community based point."
}