Senate invites public views on Autism Management Bill, 2025
The Senate is seeking public views on the Autism Management Bill, 2025, which proposes a national framework for early detection, care and data on autism across Kenya’s national and county levels.
A new Bill is seeking to establish a national framework for the early detection, diagnosis and management of autism, while promoting awareness and allocating resources to support affected individuals and their families.
The Autism Management Bill, 2025, now under review by the Senate Standing Committee on Health, aims to create specialised diagnostic centres, train medical and teaching professionals and ensure coordinated care across national and county levels.
The Bill, sponsored by Senator Karen Nyamu, proposes a wide-ranging framework to address gaps in screening, specialised care, training, and data collection.
It mandates the National Government to develop national standards and a National Autism Strategy, establish diagnostic centres in referral hospitals, train medical practitioners and caregivers, promote public awareness and create a national database for planning.
According to the WHO, Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a diverse group of conditions characterised by some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication. Other characteristics are typical patterns of activities and behaviours, such as difficulty with transition from one activity to another, a focus on details and unusual reactions to sensations.
Scientific studies indicate that children diagnosed with autism, as well as their parents, are more likely to have been exposed to specific environmental factors.
Researchers have identified several conditions that appear more prevalent in such cases, including advanced parental age, maternal diabetes during pregnancy and prenatal exposure to air pollutants or certain heavy metals. Prematurity, severe birth complications and low birth weight have also been associated with a higher likelihood of autism.
Nyamu’s Bill mandates that county governments will be required to set up diagnostic centres in level 4 and 5 hospitals, establish community caregiver support groups, create county-level autism databases and allocate funds for prevention and management services. Both levels of government will also establish autism units to coordinate programmes, collect data and support public education efforts.
“The Bill seeks to provide for an integrated and coordinated approach to the management of autism in Kenya. The Bill further seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework for early screening, diagnosis, management and support of persons with autism, while promoting public awareness and allocation of adequate resources towards autism programmes,” reads part of the Bill.
It further directs the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to integrate autism awareness into pre-service and in-service teacher training and develop a curriculum covering autism management across all levels of education.
Nyamu said the legislation seeks to address challenges such as late diagnoses, a shortage of trained professionals, limited access to specialised services and the absence of accurate national data on autism prevalence.
She also highlighted that the Bill aligns with the World Health Organisation’s 2014 global autism resolution and reinforces Article 43(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
To participate in the process, the Senate has invited members of the public to submit their views on the proposed law. The Bill, which was read for the First Time in the Senate on November 26, 2025, is now open for public participation as required under Article 118 of the Constitution and Standing Order 145(5).
Kenyans have been urged to submit written memoranda to the Clerk of the Senate at P.O. Box 41842-00100, Nairobi; hand-deliver them to the Main Parliament Buildings; or send them via email to [email protected] with a copy to [email protected].
All submissions must be received by 5:00 pm on Monday, December 22, 2025.
The invitation for public views marks a critical stage in the legislative process, with the Standing Committee on Health expected to consider the submissions before tabling its report in the Senate.
If enacted, the law would formalise Kenya’s national response to autism, enabling early interventions, structured support systems, and long-term care for persons with autism and their families.
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