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"id": 1458265,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1458265/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Likoni, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Mishi Mboko",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Lack of mental health infrastructure and human resource has a devastating impact on Kenyan communities. I want to note some cases that happened in Kenya regarding mental disorders. On 24th January 2024, 34 years old James Master was found dangling from a tree in Kisii. On the same day, 72 years old Maina was found in Kirinyaga and it was suspected it was suicide. On the same day in Mituni Location, Machakos County, David Mutua was found dead hanging from a sisal rope. On 2nd January 2024 at Kangema Police Station, Murang’a County, a police constable shot himself dead. Again, on the same day, in Ngusishi Police Station in Meru County, Corporal Simon Gitonga was found lying in a pool of blood dead from a self-implicated gunshot wound on the head. Another case happened at the Lunga-Lunga Police Station where a police officer shot his wife and later shot himself dead. In April 23rd 2024, a 24-year-old Olivia Naseria from Kitengela, in a bizarre incident, killed her two-year old daughter and consumed her organs as she sang and recited alphabets as the neighbours watched helplessly. The crisis extends beyond the tragic loss of life. The frequency of mental health issues in our learning institutions is evident in rampant love triangles, femicide and mushrooming of juvenile gangs. Those disturbing trends are clear indicators that mental health challenges facing our youths are not being addressed adequately. Furthermore, I raise concerns about the impact of mental health issues in workplaces. Cases of assault, gender-based violence and employee absenteeism due to depression are on the rise. This not only affects the well-being of our work force, but also, has a significant economic implication for our nation. Just to note, I sit in the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) on the Committee on Staff Welfare. We have several cases of mental disorders; be it anxiety, depression or bipolar. We are yet to find a solution for those cases. The existing legal framework such as the Mental Health Act of 1989 and the National Mental Policy of 2015-2030 are outdated."
}