On August 18, 2026, Fredrick Gori will leave Migori on foot, beginning a 450-kilometre journey to Nairobi that he hopes will do more than test his physical endurance.
For 24 days, the communications professional, university lecturer and mental health advocate will walk through parts of western and southern Kenya, stopping along the way to listen, engage communities and draw attention to a crisis that often remains hidden behind silence.
Dubbed “Walking the Mind,” the campaign will take Gori from Migori through Homa Bay, Kisii, Nyamira, Bomet, Narok, Suswa Junction, Kimuka and Ngong before reaching Nairobi.
But the journey is not simply about the distance.
It is rooted in Gori’s own experiences with mental health, the loss of people he knew who struggled silently, and years of witnessing the gap between conversations about mental health at policy and institutional levels and the reality faced by ordinary Kenyans seeking help.
“Mental health is not a personal weakness. It is a public health, social and economic issue. This walk is my way of moving from the meeting room to the road, meeting people where they are, listening to their experiences and advocating for practical solutions,” said Gori.
As he moves from one county to another, Gori plans to turn the road into a space for conversation.
The campaign will bring together young people, healthcare workers, county leaders, policymakers and members of local communities to discuss mental health challenges and explore practical ways of making care more accessible.
For many Kenyans, access to mental healthcare remains difficult, particularly in communities far from major urban centres. The campaign seeks to shift the conversation from awareness alone towards practical interventions that can bring support closer to where people live.
At the centre of Gori’s advocacy are four proposals.
He wants Community Health Promoters to receive mental health first-response skills so they can identify and respond to people experiencing mental health challenges at community level. He is also calling for more qualified mental health professionals in county hospitals and stronger mental health coverage under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The campaign will further advocate for greater use of technology to expand access to counselling and peer-support services.
Gori also hopes the journey will help establish a Community Mental Health First Response Corner at Migori Level IV Hospital, which he envisions as a pilot that could eventually be replicated in other counties.
At selected stops along the route, the campaign will present community-backed letters to county leaders, calling for increased investment and stronger commitments to mental health services.
Yet beyond policy proposals and letters, Gori intends to collect something less tangible but potentially just as important: stories.
The walk will create opportunities for ordinary Kenyans to speak about their experiences with mental health, whether as people seeking help, caregivers supporting loved ones or individuals who have struggled without knowing where to turn.
Young people, men and underserved communities will be a particular focus.
For Gori, the personal stories behind the statistics are what make the journey necessary.
“I am walking for the young person silently battling depression, the student who feels overwhelmed, the parent struggling to access treatment, and the many Kenyans who continue to suffer in silence. Mental health is not a luxury. It is healthcare,” said Gori.
The journey will begin in Migori and proceed through Homa Bay, Kisii, Nyamira, Bomet and Narok before passing through Suswa Junction, Kimuka and Ngong and ending in Nairobi.
By the time Gori reaches the capital, the hope is that the 450-kilometre journey will have travelled much further than the roads connecting the counties.
It will have carried conversations into communities, placed personal experiences at the centre of the mental health debate and challenged leaders to consider what practical, accessible mental healthcare should look like for Kenyans.
For Gori, every kilometre is therefore part of a larger message: that mental health must move from the margins of public discussion and become a visible, accessible and properly supported part of healthcare in Kenya.
