Over 300 teachers face severe mental health issues amid insufficient care facilities

Over 300 teachers in Kenya have faced severe mental health challenges in the past two years, prompting calls by the Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA) to establish a national mental health and medical centre tailored to teachers’ needs.

According to the association, most affected teachers suffer in silence, often turning to equally distressed colleagues for support due to the lack of professional mental healthcare services.

KEWOTA is now seeking to raise Sh400 million to build the centre through fundraising walks across six counties, including Nairobi, Migori, Kiambu, Nakuru, Machakos, and Kisumu, to both generate funds and highlight the mental health challenges teachers face.

Speaking at the Nairobi walk event held at Ulinzi Sports Centre, KEWOTA Chief Executive Officer Benta Opande warned that many teachers are struggling quietly, sometimes pushed to tragic extremes, including suicide.

“You find a teacher losing all their earnings in a game of Aviator, and because they cannot face their families empty-handed, they opt to end their lives,” she said.

Opande also urged regulators to implement financial fitness checks before allowing individuals to engage in online gambling.

“Let’s have KRA on the questionnaire to assess if teachers are financially fit to gamble,” she added.

KEWOTA Chairperson Modesta Akaki explained that while many teachers seek help from colleagues, those peers are often untrained and overwhelmed themselves.

“Many of them are suffering silently, and the only people they talk to are fellow teachers who are just as overwhelmed,” she said.

Akaki called for urgent support from the government and private partners to complete the proposed facility and develop a nationwide mental health response system for teachers.

Echoing the concerns, Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association National Chairperson Faud Ali highlighted the impact of teachers’ mental wellbeing on education quality.

“When a teacher is mentally broken, they cannot support pupils effectively. We must pay close attention to their welfare,” he said.

KEWOTA National Treasurer Jacinta Ndegwa noted that while many cases have been reported, numerous others remain unspoken.

“We appreciate the partners who have already come on board, including Old Mutual, who are supporting this cause. We welcome others to help us see this project through,” she said.

The fundraising event attracted hundreds of teachers and students and was attended by KEWOTA’s founding Chairperson and current Member of Parliament, Dorothy Muthoni, who emphasised the urgency of the project.

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“This centre could not have come at a more urgent time. We must act now before more lives are lost,” she said.

Miss KEWOTA, Hilda Lengarpatei, said the facility would help young teachers lead more balanced lives.