Tufunguke na MKU Nairobi Campus
Mental Health Event Held at MKU Nairobi Campus on Friday 10th June at 9:00 Am.
Despite the well-outlined guidelines and priority actions in the mental health policy in Kenya, the country still faces many challenges in regards to provision of optimal and affordable mental health care and treatment. One of the biggest challenge is low awareness of mental disorders particularly, the symptoms of this conditions among the persons suffering from the condition and the community at large.
It is on this background that MKU, Nairobi campus held a Mental Health Awareness day on 10th June 2022. The event that was organized by the Mr. & Miss MKU Nairobi Campus in partnership with the MKUSA leadership. The objective of the event was to bring into focus the importance of Mental Health Awareness among the students. The event was held in collaboration with the Chiromo Hospital Group. The Chiromo Hospital Group has a programme known as ‘Tufunguke’ which loosely translated means ‘Lets open up’. The programme targets University Students, and aims at breaking the stigma around Mental Health issues.
The Chief Guest for the day was Mr. Roy Sasaka (the C. E. O, Kenya National Youth Council) while the keynote speaker was Mr. Robert Burale (Transformational Speaker, Image Consultant, Trainer, Mentor, and Minister of the Gospel). A group of trained psychologists and mental health advocates was also in place for the Q & A session.
The campus Director Mr. Charles Karuga made his opening remarks on the importance of the topic at hand and officially opened the session. He thanked Princess Njeri Ngugi (MKUSA Secretary General) and Ms. Lisa Wanjiku (Miss MKU Nairobi chapter) for their leading role in organizing the event.
The Chief guest, Mr. Roy Sasaka gave a brief presentation on the importance of having a good mental health and how it plays a major role in the development of every youth. The Chiromo Hospital Group had their presentation made by Ms Gathoni Mbugua a clinical psychologist and the head of Digital Relations at the Chiromo Hospital.
MKU O3 Plus (Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future) projects creates awareness on physical and mental health, unplanned pregnancies, reduction of HIV infections. The O3 plus project is dedicated to ensure that young people in higher and tertiary education institutions in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe realize positive health, education and gender equality outcomes through sustained reductions in new HIV infections, unintended pregnancy and gender based violence.
Madam Gathoni took the participants through the different types of Mental Health Disorders. She explained that majority of the youths have different mental health disorders that they may not aware of. She gave practical tips on how to understand and manage mental health disorders at a personal level.
The keynote speaker Mr. Robert Burale delivered a presentation on “Peer Pressure” explaining how the youth fall prey to peer pressure and what they see on social Media.
Students interacted through question and answer session with the panelists Gathoni Mbugua –Clinical Psychologist & head of the Digital Relations at Chiromo Hospital Group, Peter Wanyagi –a mental health advocate, Grace Wanjiku –a psychologist and Princess Njeri Ngugi –a mental health advocate.
At the end of the day, the students were well informed.
