The Coalition Action for Preventive Mental Health Kenya – CAPMHK is a Mental Health ecosystem investment accelerator organization made up of 134 CBOs and NGOs across the country and outside Kenya.

Our mission is to destigmatize and demystify mental health

Our vision is to have more investments in community preventive initiatives by employing local interventions and contextualizing borrowed experiences from around the globe.

Our Brief History 

CAPMHK was registered in July 2021 at the height of the Covid19 pandemic.

  1. Reason behind CAPMHK creation include but not limited to: 
  • That civil societies with mental health interventions were working in silos and thus it was difficult to raise unified concern over National or global issues on mental health 
  • There was no adequate funding for mental health at National or county level
  • That current legislation highly criminalized mental illness including addictions, attempted suicide, mental capacity
  • That the level of stigma and discrimination for mental health is so high in the country  
  • That coercive practices in law and prejudices restricted or inhibited access to justice for persons with mental illness.
  • That there was lack of mainstreaming and integration of mental health into different national and county policies which has contributed to less funding and stigma. 
  1. These observations are anchored on various National policies and reports, including: 


1. Mental Health Policy 2015-2030

2. Mental Health Task Force Report 2020. 

3. Mental Health Investment Case 2021. 

4. Mental Health Action Plan 2021-2025

5. Mental Health Amendment Bill 2022

6. The CRPD committee 2015 concluding remarks for Kenya.

Included in the documents are areas of reforms needed, recommended investments, integration and improvement.

 

Our success story: 

​CAPMHK is the 2023 Kenya winner of SDG 17. Awarded by the SDG committee convened by the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

Our History

2021

  1. Petitioned Planning and Treasury to increase budget for community health care workers and have them trained on mental health awareness as first responders during emergencies.
  2. Led a campaign to create Maternal Mental Health awareness through climbing the Aberdare ranges.

2022

  1. Contributed to the mental health amendment act 2022 that seeks to have a more human rights-based approach.
  2. Contributed to the development of a Manual on Access to Justice for Persons with Mental illnesses by the International Commission of Jurist Kenya Chapter ICJ-Kenya and disseminated in five counties. (2022-2024) 

2023

  1. Institutional knowledge acquisition -Workshops, trainings, volunteer work (Psychosocial support for inmates – Machakos Main, Kamiti Youth Correctional Training Center)

2024

  1. Conducted a Workshop on Mental capacity and Legal capacity for the Court Users Committee of the Milimani High Court Family Division – July 2024
  2. As a member of the Prisons reform working group, we contributed to the Correctional services Bill 2024.
  3. Contributed to the Foreign Affairs and Diaspora ministry Policy review 2024.
  4. Civil Society Voluntary National Reporting on SDGs annexed to the Government VNR report for 2024. CAPMHK contributed on SDG 3.4 reducing premature mortality including suicide and SDG 16 on rule of law and access to justice for vulnerable groups.

2025

  1. 4th Interested Party in the Petition to decriminalize attempted suicide – January 2025 Judgment by the High Court declared its unconstitutional and a violation of health right to criminalize persons attempting suicide. (Community based radio stations and TV reached over 2 mln people including social media)
  2. Collaboration with Ministry of Health, Kenya Defense Forces and Others stakeholders to observe World Oral Health Day 2025. Themed a happy mouth is …a happy mind (Radio interviews and social media)
  3. Submitted a memorandum to the Universal Peer Review for Kenya 2025 on criminalization of Mental Health and access to justice for persons with intellectual, psychosocial and cognitive disabilities. 
  4. Panelist and presentation on access to justice for persons with mental illness at the inaugural Kenya Judiciary High Court Summit to coincide with the Universal Human Rights Day on 10th December 2024