April 8, 2026
By Benjamin Mutuku, Clinical Psychologist and Wellness Trainer, Wellness Speaker, and Professional Life Coach. For collaborations or speaking engagements, reach out via LinkedIn or +254 757 277 501
“You cannot pour from an empty cup.” This timeless truth resonated in my mind during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was not in the ICU. I wasn’t running labs. But I was in the thick of it—supporting healthcare staff emotionally and mentally as they cared for patients who often didn’t make it home.
I sat with teams to break bad news to families, and tried my best to appear strong. Day after another, I sat with weeping nurses, clinicians, doctors… debriefed and even prayed with them.
I Listened to staff who had lost loved ones, and supported others who had to quarantine alone, unsure if they were next. And still, I never thought of myself as someone who also needed help.
This is the untold story of countless caregivers in Kenyan hospitals and care centres. The ones who tend to everyone else while quietly falling apart.
Kenya’s healthcare system is not just about doctors and nurses. It includes clinical officers, lab technicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, radiographers, nutritionists, social workers, pharmacists, CHVs, support staff, and even chaplains and administrators. Each of these roles is a cog in the health wheel—and many experience trauma and burnout just as deeply.
But how many systems truly care for the carers?
Globally, burnout is now recognised as an occupational phenomenon by the WHO. Kenya is not exempt.
Burnout isn’t just exhaustion. It’s emotional depletion, depersonalisation, and a deep erosion of purpose.
“Compassion fatigue is the cost of caring.”
– Charles Figley
But this cost shouldn’t be paid in silence.
Kenya has taken major strides:
The Ministry of Health—especially through the Division of Mental Health—has laid a strong foundation. From deploying mental health focal persons in counties to building integrated care within primary health systems, Kenya is making bold moves.
But this work needs backup.
It is time for public and mission hospitals, private facilities, and community centres to go beyond duty and build cultures of empathy, healing, and care—for the caregivers.
This year’s upcoming 2nd National Mental Health Conference in Nairobi, themed “Securing the Future: A Holistic Approach to Mental Health for Generations,” provides an opportunity to scale up support for healthcare workers across Kenya.
Clinical Psychologist & Organisational Wellbeing Consultant | 15+ Years | Helping Organisations Build Mentally Healthy Workplaces | Founder, Beracah Wellness Services | National Suicide Prevention Task Force, Kenya
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