NAIROBI, Kenya – Community Health promoters (CHPs) are facing growing mental health pressures as they face large workloads, delayed stipends, difficult household situations and limited resources while serving as the link between communities and the health system.
According to the Shine research findings released on Wednesday, October 7, the CHPs are facing mounting mental and financial pressures as they serve up to 100 households each, with research showing widespread compensation dissatisfaction and high levels of out-of-pocket spending.
“CHPs are seen as the biblical good samaritans. They are not paid but receive stipends of KSh 2,500 from the national government and KSh 2,500 from the county government. At times, they face a household that is facing challenges, and they end up going back into their pockets to help out.
“The community has high expectations of them, and there is pressure to meet programme and reporting targets, which at times drains them mentally,” said Dr Stephen Mulupi, head of research at LVCT Health, while presenting the Shine findings during a health media immersion forum attended by News9.africa.
Kenya deployed 107,831 CHPs by 2024, with each expected to serve about 100 households.
According to Omoth Ohuru, senior technical advisor for Community Health, LVCT Health, in their 1st finding between Kiambu and Nairobi County, large geographical areas to cover were another key stressor.
“In Kiambu County, CHPs need to walk, or board a motorbike to meet their target. Also through the 1200 people we interviewed, female CHPs mostly face sexual assaults. Who cares for the carers,” said Omoth.
The CHPs are left to cope with their mental well-being, with others having to find help from friends and families.
“In Nairobi County, 55% of respondents reported using healthy coping mechanisms, compared with fewer than 18 per cent in Kiambu County,” said Omoth.
Health stakeholders, including researchers from the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), called for interventions that address both the psychological and practical challenges facing CHPs.
“I urge the government to ensure timely payment of stipends, structured mental-health awareness programmes for CHPs and their supervisors, and better provision of tools, transport and other logistical resources for the CHPs,” said Dr Caroline Kabaria, research officer, African Population and Health Research Centre, (APHRC)
For a health system that increasingly depends on community-level workers, experts say protecting their wellbeing is essential to sustaining the services they provide.
Discussion about this post