WHO QualityRights

QualityRights in Kenya

In July 2019 the Ministry of Health of Kenya in collaboration with WHO, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and NGOs, held the first meeting of the QualityRights Kenya Implementation Group in order to discuss plans to roll out QualityRights on nationwide.

This Kenyan initiative involves the strategic launch and roll out the QualityRights e-training programme on mental health, human rights and recovery among key mental health and disability stakeholders including service providers in order to promote attitudes and practices that respect dignity and rights in mental health and which promote holistic, person-centered and recovery oriented care and support.

The e-training will also be supplemented by face-to-face capacity building on mental health, disability, human rights and recovery.

In addition, assessments of mental health services will be undertaken and transformation plans developed in order to improve quality of care and human rights in services, using WHO QualityRights assessment and guidance materials and tools.

Pursuant to the cabinet directive on 21^st November 2019, the President of Kenya called for the establishment of a taskforce on mental health, which was inaugurated on the 11^th December 2019 by the Cabinet Secretary for Health. The taskforce is mandated to assess the mental health situation in Kenya, examine the mental health system including the legal and policy frameworks, identify social determinants and other factors negatively affecting mental health.

In July 2020 a report on “Mental Health and Well-being: Towards Happiness & National Prosperity” was launched by the Taskforce which outlines recommendations aimed at transforming systems for improved mental health and quality of life. The WHO QualityRights initiative underpins many of the recommendations and is included as a core strategy to address stigma and discrimination, to improve access to mental health services and to strengthen human resources for mental health, among other recommendations. The report is available here.

Target

50,000 national stakeholders trained using the WHO QualityRights e-training platform on mental health, human rights and recovery

Achievements to date

A 5-day training workshop on mental health, disability, human rights and recovery for national coaches & mentors using WHO QualityRights training materials – 60 QualityRights trainers now trained
Appointment of National QualityRights champions
Creation of a coordinating committee and 3 subcommittees on (i) communication (ii) resource mobilization (iii) capacity building and monitoring & evaluation
Briefing to the Cabinet secretary on the QualityRights initiative
Training workshop on the QualityRights Assessment toolkit and methodology – 20 QualityRights assessors now trained
QualityRights assessement of Mathari National Teaching & Referral Hospital and Gilgil subcounty hospital
QualityRights assessment of community mental health services (Caritas ,Nyeri county)
Creation of “QualiyRights Tuesdays” (every Tuesday is set as QualityRights Day on social media)
Inclusion of QualityRights in the implementation of the presidential directive on mental health.
Presentation on QualityRights during the semi colon; a conversation on mental health at Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)
QualityRights stakeholder’s half day sensitization meeting (5th November 2019)
Sensitization activities in various forums: College/Universities-Kenyatta University, Kenya Medical Training College, mental health and family walk at Karura forest, Cradle Arts Festival, World Mental Health day
Series of QualityRights Webinars organized by the Ministry of Health on mental health, disability, human rights and person-centred recovery approaches, including during COVID 19 pandemic (see below)
Online sensitization meeting for the staff of Health Rights Advocacy forum (HERAF) following which the executive director of HERAF issued an executive order for all staff to complete the QualityRights training.
The 5 Week wellness challenge/campaign involving quizzes and prizes, to enroll more people to undertake and complete the QualityRights e-training course.
In September 2020, CBM Kenya, a national QualityRights partner, engaged Bonga/Capital FM to run a media campaign to disseminated QualityRights messages in different social media platforms (see below for radio clips, and click here for the feature article)
On 19^th October 2020, a virtual meeting was held with Kenya’s Senate Health Committee to sensitize members on the QualityRights mental health Initiative. The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the need to align relevant national laws with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other international human rights standards.
17^th – 20^th November 2020 – four day training on QualityRights and psychological first aid with a team of 50 people from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The team consisted participant from the 2 refugee camps (Kakuma & Dadaab) as well as Nairobi.
18^th and 19^th November 2020 – a virtual QualityRights stakeholders meeting was held to review activities carried out over the one year since the national launch of the initiative. The meeting was opened with a speech by the principal secretary for health and attended by the different stakeholders who are part of implementation of QualityRights
Assessments of five mental health facilities and one community-based service have been undertaken using the WHO Assessment toolkit and methodology
6 – 21 April 2021: QualityRights & MHPSS training for health care workers in the 47 counties in Kenya
April 2021 – ther activities under way include:
- drafting of action plan for reaching persons with Intellectual and cognitive disabilities
- “QualityRights Champion Spotlight” to highlight those who have completed the QualityRights e-training
- Ongoing discussions with Equity Bank to discuss a partnership proposal to train the bank’s staff on the Qualityrights e-training
8th May 2021: Legal wolf podcast: discussion with Dr. Njuguna on the status of mental health in Kenya and the implementation of the WHO QualityRights initiative – listen to the podcast here
May 2021: QualityRights Kenya ongoing media campaign – collaboration with different partners to celebrate May mental health month – Chiromo Hospital Group, Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya, CBM Kenya, Capital fm & Bonga
15th & 29th May 2021:- Youth Chillspot: a safe space hangout where young people can discuss mental health issues
8th May 2021- Legal wolf podcast: discussion with Dr. Njuguna on the status of mental health in Kenya and the implementation of the WHO QualityRights initiative. link:(attached in the document)
17th & 20th May: tweet chat discussion & webinar discussion on prevention & promotion in mental health
June 2021 – Twitter spaces: Discussions throughout the month of June on twitter spaces every Tuesday to discuss the different modules on the QualityRights e-training
21-25th June 2021.- HERAF sensitization: planned sensitization of HERAF civic educators on Qualityrights in Nyeri on 21-25th June 2021.

Next steps

Ongoing rollout of the QualityRights e-training to reach all stakeholder groups and community members
QualityRights country wide assessments – throughout 2020
QualityRights training workshops – throughout 2020
Review and amendment of Kenya’s national Mental Health Act

Video: QualityRights in Kenya
WATCH NOW

Links and Social Media

Twitter: qualityrightske
Instagram: qualityrightske
Facebook: QualityRightsKE
Hashtag: #QualityRightsKe
QualityRights Tuesdays – every Tuesday is set as ‘QualityRights Day’ on social media

QualityRights e-training stats – Kenya (since July 2019):

As at 14 March 2022:

# people registered: 5743
# people who have started the course: 2583
# people who have received their WHO certificate: 1237

National QualityRights champions

Wabaiya Kariuki – Miss Universe 2018
Danish Odongo – Journalist and service user
Eddy kimani – Media consultant
Douglas Wakiihuri – Athlete
Philip Ogola: Digital Humanitarian
Hon Isaac Mwaura – Nominated Senator
Dr Mercy Karanja – Psychiatrist

National QualityRights Launch, 21 November 2019

A pre-launch media briefing was held on 18^th November 2019 – Flyer

On 21^stNovember 2019, QualityRights Kenya was successfully launched during the first Kenyan mental health conference, by the Guest of Honour, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health – Susan N. Mochache, CBS. the launch was attended by 450 delegates from all over the country representing corporate bodies, NGOs & CSOs, other organizations, mental health professionals and other health professionals, people with lived experience of psychosocial, intellectual and cognitive disabilities, care-givers, a cross section of the general public and media.

The dignitaries in attendance included:

Dr Rudi Eggers – WHO country representative
Hon Sabina Chege – Woman Representative, Murang’a county, Chairperson Parliamentary Health Committee
Hon Gladwell Jesire Cheruiyot – Woman Representative, Baringo County
Sylvia Mueni Kasanga – Nominated senator and mental health advocate.
Dr Pacifica Onyancha – Ag Director of medical services and Head department of preventive and promotive health, Ministry of Health.
Dr Joyce Nato – WHO Country Office representative

Launch resources and articles

Kenya Embarks On Implementation Of Quality Rights Mental Health Initiative (Kenya News Agency)

Kenya launches QualityRights Initiative to promote mental health care (Statement – Ministry of Health)

Kenya launches initiative to promote mental health for citizens (Xinhua)

QualityRights Launch Poster

Mental Health Conference Poster

Report of launch of QualityRights mental health initiative in Kenya

QualityRights Kenya – National planning meetings

Kenya QualityRights Planning Meeting Programme

National training workshops & sensitization meetings

QualityRights Training of Trainers workshop agenda

QualityRights Service Assessment training workshop agenda

QualityRights Stakeholders sensitization meeting

QualityRights Service assessment reports

A human rights assessment of a large mental hospital in Kenya

QualityRights Webinars

During Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2020 the Ministry of Health organized a series of QualityRights Webinars on different issues related to mental health, disability, human rights and person-centred recovery approaches, including in relation to COVID 19 pandemic and response. The webinar series garnered 734 participants in total.

Psychosocial Disability & Human Rights: Implications for practice in mental health and social sectors.
- Panelists: Catalina Devandas, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities & Felicia Mburu, Africa Litigation Manager, Validity Foundation
Legal Capacity: Do persons with psychosocial, intellectual and cognitive disabilities have a voice?
- Panelists: Alberto Vasquez, Research Coordinator, Office of the UN special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities & Michael Njenga, Executive Director at Users and Survivors of Psychiatry in Kenya
Implementation of a recovery approach & role of practitioners and mental health and social services
- Panelists: Dannish Odongo, journalist, writer, trainer on emotional welfare, and expert by experience; Michelle Funk, Lead, Policy Law and Human Rights, WHO; Florence Jaguga, consultant psychiatrist, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Head of Alcohol and Drugs Rehabilitation Unit & trained QualityRights service assessor
Violence against persons with psychosocial, intellectual and cognitive disabilities
- Panelists: Soumitra Pathare, Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy at the Indian Law Society, Faizah Sidi, Kenya Human Rights Commission and Samuel Macharia, Users and Survivors of Psychiatry in Kenya (USPKenya)
QualityRights in an African Context
- Panelists: Florence Baingana, Regional Advisor for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO AFRO, Akwasi Osei, Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Authority, Ghana and Simon Njuguna, Director Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Kenya

QualityRights mental health and wellbeing campaign, June-July 2020

Throughout the months of July and August, Kenya has been running the QualityRights 5 Week Challenge/Wellness Tour, a campaign aimed at increasing enrolment to and completion of the WHO QualityRights e-training on Mental Health, Disability, Human Rights and Recovery. The campaign was run by QualityRights Coordinating team partners including Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya, with financial support of CBM Kenya and Open Society initiative for Eastern Africa.

Challenge participants are rewarded weekly with assorted prizes for weekly quizzes (gift vouchers, stress balls, wellness jar, handmade cards, t-shirts etc.) upon completion of each course module, and the QualityRights e-training Certificate upon full completion of the course. The prizes are assorted items eg. among others (most are tailored to the needs of the target population – youth)

Kenyan QualityRights champions are recruited to promulgate the campaign and social media and whatsapp groups have also been used as a promotional strategy.

The first element of the campaign is LEARN – this is targeted at the 6 modules of the WHO QualityRights course which are to be completed on a weekly basis: 2 modules on the first week, then one module per week for the remaining weeks.

The campaign also incorporates other aspects recommended to maintain positive mental health and wellbeing as listed below:

BE ACTIVE: Regular physical activity
CONNECT: To encourage the youth to build and maintain stronger healthy relationships.
GIVE: the act of giving to others portrays kindness,
TAKE NOTICE: “Savoring the moment”

Webinar – Why the 5 week challenge?