Willis Otieno: Real healthcare must cover chronic illnesses and mental health
By Kiprono Keileb, October 1, 2025Lawyer Willis Otieno has called for a rethink of Kenya’s healthcare priorities, urging policymakers to design health packages that truly respond to the needs of ordinary citizens rather than political optics.
In a statement shared on his official X account posted Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Otieno said many Kenyans continue to suffer in silence because the country’s health benefits are too narrowly focused.
While emergency and maternal care remain important, he stressed that a much larger and equally urgent burden lies with chronic illnesses and mental health struggles that remain poorly covered.
“A good health package must reflect real Kenyan needs, not political optics,” Otieno stated, adding that the design of health benefits must go beyond short-term solutions.
He pointed out that non-communicable diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, hypertension, and diabetes have become common across households, often draining families financially. Without adequate insurance or cover, treatment for these illnesses is, in his words, financially catastrophic.
According to him, a healthcare system that ignores the reality of chronic conditions risks leaving millions of families vulnerable. He also highlighted the growing challenge of mental health, an area he said has been neglected for far too long.
“Mental health remains largely excluded from benefit design, yet suicide and depression are rising,” he warned.
Otieno called for a shift in the way health packages are designed, arguing that Kenyans deserve a system that offers balance across prevention, treatment, and long-term care. “A comprehensive package should balance preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services,” he said.
His remarks come at a time when debates on the implementation of the Social Health Authority (SHA) are ongoing, with stakeholders raising concerns about how inclusive and sustainable the system will be.
Otieno’s message, however, was clear: without expanding coverage to chronic diseases and mental health, Kenya’s dream of universal healthcare will remain incomplete. For him, the true test of health reform lies in whether it can ease the burden of everyday Kenyans struggling with conditions that drain both their strength and their savings.