NAIROBI, Kenya, May 30 – More than four in ten healthcare workers in Kenya are experiencing symptoms of depression, according to a new study by the Aga Khan University Brain and Mind Institute (AKU-BMI), highlighting growing concerns over the mental wellbeing of frontline medical personnel and its implications for the country’s health system.
The study, dubbed the UZIMA Data Science (UZIMA DS) project, found that 43.1 percent of healthcare workers surveyed reported depressive symptoms.
Conducted over a 12-month period across five hospitals in Nairobi, the study collected data from 514 healthcare workers and examined mental health outcomes, workplace experiences, and the influence of social and digital support systems.
Researchers found that 16.9 percent of respondents reported moderately severe depressive symptoms, while 5.5 percent experienced severe symptoms, pointing to a significant mental health burden among healthcare professionals.
“This study highlights the reality of what healthcare workers are carrying every day. The findings give us a clear chance to take action and improve the systems that support our healthcare workers,” said Zul Merali, Founding Director of the Brain and Mind Institute and Co-Principal Investigator of the UZIMA DS project.
The findings suggest that mental health challenges among healthcare workers are driven not only by personal circumstances but also by broader workplace and institutional factors.
The report identified workplace stress, discrimination, limited social support, and heightened vulnerability among younger and early-career staff as key contributors to poor mental health outcomes.
According to the researchers, organisational culture and insufficient support structures within healthcare institutions are compounding the pressures faced by workers, underscoring the need for system-wide interventions.
The study comes at a time when Kenya’s health sector continues to grapple with workforce shortages, increased demand for services, and recurring concerns over staff welfare, issues that experts say could be exacerbated if mental health challenges among healthcare workers remain unaddressed.
The report recommends integrating mental health considerations into workforce planning, occupational health programmes, and broader health system strengthening initiatives to ensure sustained support for healthcare workers.
Government officials signalled support for evidence-based interventions aimed at improving healthcare worker wellbeing.
“We recognise that supporting healthcare workers’ mental health is key to better care and stronger health systems. The Ministry is committed to integrating mental health into workforce and occupational health strategies,” said Mary Karongo, Deputy Director of Counselling in the Division of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health.
The study also identified opportunities to expand access to mental health support through technology.
Researchers found strong interest among healthcare workers in using digital mental health tools, including mobile applications and wearable technologies, to facilitate early identification of mental health challenges, ongoing monitoring, and timely interventions.
The findings reinforce growing calls for healthcare worker wellbeing to be treated as a core pillar of health system resilience, with researchers urging policymakers and healthcare institutions to adopt preventive and sustainable approaches that place workforce mental health at the centre of health sector reforms.