New Initiative Focuses on Adolescent Mental Wellness

In a move to strengthen mental health support for young people, Kenyan and regional partners have launched a major initiative centered on adolescent mental wellness. The 2025 Child & Adolescent Mental Health Summit, held in Mombasa, has brought together youth leaders, mental health professionals, and policymakers to prioritize sustainable, youth-led solutions. One of the centerpiece interventions emerging from the summit is Rise & Rest , a school-based sound therapy program aimed at improving emotional self-regulation among adolescents. The routine uses isochronic beats and breathwork to support stress management, neuro-inclusion, and overall mental well-being, especially in settings where access to traditional psychological services is limited.
At the policy level, the Ministry of Health has made a bold step: for the first time, mental health services will be covered under Kenya’s national health insurance (Taifa Care). This means community-based mental wellness support, especially for young people through 107,000 digitally enabled Community Health Promoters (CHPs), will be part of the formal health benefits. Civil society groups are also scaling up. Mental 360, a youth-led mental health nonprofit, is expanding its school wellness clubs and peer support networks across Kenya to provide safe spaces where young people can share experiences, access counseling, and build resilience.