Kenya Society for the Mentally Handicapped

Since its inception on 22nd June 1971, KSMH has worked as a lobby group for persons with mental disabilities and their families. Its country wide membership consists of both, individual and institutional memberships. Individual memberships are in the categories of annual and life members, composed of adults with mental disabilities and members of families with a person with mental disability. Institutional memberships consist of homes, special units and schools for persons with mental disabilities. Professionals in the area work closely with the organization from the national level to the grassroots.

Individual memberships form a network of community based parents support groups situated in each and every district of the country. Over the years, KSMH advocacy and action has shaped the Society into a leading national organization through which people with mental disabilities and their family’s express concerns for their special needs and interests.

One of the major achievements of KSMH are the community-based parents support groups that have in their localities, influenced the introduction of 734 special schools and units for persons with mental disabilities in the country.

However, the impact has benefited less than 1% of the population of persons with mental disabilities in the country. The results are limited due to the following:

• Lack of early identification and assessment services for children with mental disabilities.

• Inaccessible basic & specialized services especially those needed by mothers and families of persons with mental disabilities.

• The presence of insensitive & discriminative legal and institutional policy frameworks

• High poverty levels that has increased the incidence of mental disabilities in the country and affected its management.

• Deeply entrenched social, cultural and religious stigma associated with mental disability.