Abstract:
The Kenya Mental Health Policy (2015–2030) makes explicit provision for the promotion, prevention,
identification and referral of mental health needs in schools, yet the extent to which secondary schools
have translated these provisions into practice has not been established. This study evaluated the extent
of implementation of the policy in public secondary schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, as the first
objective of a wider study on policy implementation and student adjustment. Guided by
Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological theory, the study adopted a pragmatic paradigm and a convergent
parallel mixed methods design. From 207 public secondary schools, 21 schools were selected through
stratified and simple random sampling, yielding 412 students, 18 Guidance and Counselling Heads of
Department, 20 principals and 102 peer counsellors as respondents, together with an independent
observation checklist administered in each sampled school. Implementation was measured across six
components derived from the policy text: awareness and dissemination, availability of resources,
capacity building of teachers, school-based programmes, a supportive school environment, and
stakeholder involvement and referral. Implementation was found to be moderate and uneven, rated
2.98 by Heads of Department, 3.08 by principals and 2.73 by students on a five-point scale.
Stakeholder involvement and referral was the weakest component on every measure used, and only
14.3 per cent of schools had a specific mental health budget line, 23.8 per cent a standing referral
arrangement, and 9.5 per cent a copy of the policy itself. Self-reported provision by school leaders
exceeded what independent observation confirmed. Qualitative findings identified inadequate funding,
limited teacher training, heavy teaching loads, weak parental involvement, absent referral pathways
and stigma as the principal constraints on implementation. The study concludes that the central
constraint on implementation is not the absence of the policy but the incomplete translation of its
resourcing, coordination and referral provisions into everyday school practice, and recommends joint
ministerial implementation guidelines, a dedicated school mental health budget line, and documented
school-to-facility referral pathways.
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Keywords:
Kenya Mental Health Policy, policy implementation, secondary schools, guidance and counselling, mixed methods, Uasin Gishu County |
