Mr. Johnson Ireri, Dean of Students & Career Services University of Nairobi, addressing students at the Faculty of Health Sciences Mental Health & Wellness Open Day.
The Office of the Dean of Students & Career Services, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi Faculty of Heath Sciences (FHS), successfully held the FHS Mental Health & Wellness Open Day on Thursday 19th February, 2026 at Kenyatta National Hospital campus.
The event served as an educative and interactive session to discuss factors contributing to mental health deterioration and coping strategies among medical students
Medical students were urged to adopt better mental health coping strategies like self-care to improve their mental health.
“No health without mental health, self-care should be a lifestyle,” said Prof. Mathai who was representing Prof. Daniel Ojuka the Dean of the Faculty at the event.
She added that self-care is achieved by practicing holistic health through focusing on activities like engaging in physical exercise, getting enough sleep, staying connected with others, and maintaining self-accountability among others.
Dr. Anne Mbwayo, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry outlined burnout as a major manifestation of mental health among medical students.
She attributed it to personal factors like pre-existing mental health issues, perceived lack of support from family and peers and caring of people suffering from different disorders among other causes.
Dr. Mbwayo challenged the students to look for ways to prevent development of burnout and eventually manage it.
Deteriorating mental health in medical students negatively impacts them academically. Lower grades, increased dropout rates and prolonged stay in medical school are some of these effects.
Dr. Pius Kigamwa, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry, also attributed impaired clinical skills of the students to poor mental health, noting that 1 out of 4 patients has significant mental health challenge, therefore, students not attending to their mental health issues would affect their ability to offer medical services to patients.
Anxiety, depression, burnout, substance abuse and psychosis are some of the common mental health disorders in medical students.
“Most of our medical students have highly motivated personalities normally referred to as type A personalities,” said Dr. Kigamwa who attributed this as a factor that contributes to mental health issues.
He also highlighted academic pressure, long hours and isolation as major drivers.
The Dean of Students & Career Services University of Nairobi Mr. Johnson Ireri, whose office held the event, urged the students to take full advantage of resources readily available to them to cope with mental health issues.
He also interacted with the students and got the opportunity to answer questions and issues raised by the students. These included and were not limited to academic concerns, but also some that were causes of mental health issues.
Prof. Mathai’s sentiments on staying connected were echoed by University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA), FHS Governor, Emmanuel Oribo, who faulted rigorous schedules associated with the demanding medical courses as the reasons of mental health issues and poor coping mechanisms among students.
He called for the students to build community and maintain physical relationships so as to have social support.
“Seek help from available resources provided for students like the wellness center,” he further urged.
Some of the students who participated in the event cited financial constraints as a major player in the issue.
Thaiya Hastings, the Organizing Secretary for the University of Nairobi Dental Students Association (NUDSA) heavily attributed money troubles like difficulty to raise and clear fee balances to student’s deteriorating mental health.
The event was attended by faculty and students in the Faculty of Heath Sciences.
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