One in every four civil servants is abusing drugs or other addictive substances, a government study shows.
This was revealed during a focus group discussion on mental health between the mental health task force and major employers in Kenya in Nairobi last week.
A baseline survey conducted by the government indicates that 19.4% of those affected are stressed, 14.9% of them by family instability and 9.5% by financial difficulties.
The study further found out that 7.6 percent were suffering from stagnation in one job grade for many years, 4.6 percent from HIV/Aids and one percent from terminal illnesses.
It also emerged that the psychological wellness index among Kenyan workers in the civil service stands at 39 percent, which is relatively low.
The taskforce, led by Frank Njenga, concluded its public hearings last week, and has retreated to write a report of the findings.
“We were given 80 days so we don’t have too many days left. The intention is that we will have finished writing and we will present the report to government underlining the urgency of the matter by February 28,” Njenga told journalists in Nairobi.
The report is expected to be presented to the President by February 28, which will later be debated by the Cabinet.
(H/T Star)