The long walk to break silence on mental health
University lecturer Frederick Gori is walking from Migori to Nairobi to raise awareness about mental health. He aims to push the issue higher on the national agenda after his own long-term struggle with conditions like sleep paralysis.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing grassroots movement to destigmatize mental health issues in Kenya and improve public policy support.
University lecturer Frederick Gori began an 18-day walk from Migori to Nairobi to raise awareness about mental health on August 18, 2026. [Rodgers Otiso, Standard]
For years, Frederick Gori lived with a pain he could not name. From as early as five years old, the communication specialist says he struggled with serious mental health challenges. Yet, for much of his childhood and adult life, he did not know that what he was experiencing had anything to do with mental health.
He simply thought there was something wrong with him. It was only about five years ago that Gori began to understand what he had been going through and accepted that he needed help. That realisation marked the beginning of a journey that has now taken him beyond his personal experience and into a national campaign to get Kenyans talking about mental health.
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