A landmark review ordered by UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting into soaring mental health benefit claims has sent ripples far beyond London, raising urgent questions for Kenya's own economic and public health future.

The British inquiry seeks to understand if normal human emotions are being “over-pathologised,” as 1.2 million more people claim sickness benefits since 2019. For Kenya, this is not a distant headline; it's a critical warning about the unaddressed economic time bomb of mental health, which is already costing the nation billions.

The Staggering Cost to Kenya

While the UK grapples with its welfare bill, Kenya is losing an estimated KES 62.2 billion annually due to mental health issues, primarily from lost productivity. This figure, highlighted in the 'Mental Health Investment Case 2021' report, underscores a crisis that impacts everything from the family unit to national output. Unlike the UK's formal benefits system, the cost in Kenya is borne directly by families and employers through absenteeism, reduced output, and burnout.

The scale of the challenge is immense:

• An estimated 3.7 million working adults in Kenya are living with a mental health condition.
• Depression and anxiety are the leading mental disorders in the country.
• A staggering 75% of Kenyans with mental health challenges cannot get any form of professional support.
• Mental health receives less than 0.01% of the national health budget, a fraction of the 5% recommended for low-income countries.

A Parallel Rise in Diagnoses

The British concern over rising diagnoses of ADHD and autism is mirrored in Kenya. While official national data remains scarce, the Autism Society of Kenya estimates a prevalence of up to 4%, or one in 25 children, potentially higher than the global average. Experts suggest this rise may be linked to better awareness and improved diagnostics, but it also signals a growing demand for specialised services that the country is ill-equipped to provide.

The Kenyan government has made legislative strides, including the Mental Health Act of 2022, which aims to protect the rights of persons with mental conditions. A task force in 2020 even recommended declaring mental illness a national public health emergency. Yet, significant gaps in funding and access to care persist.

The UK's self-examination is a luxury Kenya cannot yet afford. As Britain debates the nuances of diagnosis, millions of Kenyans are left without any support at all. The question for Nairobi is not whether we are over-pathologising, but whether we are willing to pay the price of inaction as the silent crisis grows louder every day.