The 2025 Devolution Conference which started in Homa Bay county yesterday is set to be officially opened today by President William Ruto.
Among the key focus areas of this year’s devolution conference today is universal mental health.
Key debate on the table at the devolution conference is a proposal to make it mandatory for every hospital and health care service providers to provide mental health services.
The action plan which comes from Thalia Psychotherapy, operating locally as Mindful Kenya, led by Chief Operating Officer Mercy Mwende proposes to make mental health care a standard service, just like maternity care or malaria treatment, and integrate it into the country’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) plan.
“Mental health is not a luxury. It’s a necessity,” Mwende says. “If a Kenyan walks into their nearest clinic, they should be able to get mental health support — without stigma, without huge costs, and without traveling hundreds of kilometers.”Said Mwende
Rather than building new facilities or waiting for decades of workforce expansion, Thalia
works with the existing health system.
They provide trained mental health specialists, digital screening tools, and operational systems to hospitals and clinics. The facilities share revenue from services, making the model self-sustaining.
This approach means counties can quickly scale services without massive new budgets —a key selling point in an era where devolved units are balancing multiple competing
priorities.
Kenya faces a silent mental health crisis. Suicide rates are climbing, depression and
anxiety are common, and substance abuse is rising.
According to the Ministry of Health,
most Kenyans who need mental health care never receive it, largely due to cost, stigma, or distance from facilities.
For rural residents, the nearest psychiatrist may be hundreds of kilometers away.
By embedding mental health care into every local hospital and dispensary, Thalia’s model
could flip the script — making help available where people already go for care.
The proposal aligns with Kenya’s mental health policy and the government’s push for UHC.
It also taps into the spirit of devolution — empowering counties to solve problems in ways that fit their contexts.
