Stressed nation: Anxiety takes toll on Kenyans as pandemic bites

The coronavirus pandemic has brought with it another epidemic – an increase in mental health issues. Mental health experts are saying that they have witnessed a significant increase in the number of people seeking help over the issues.

“We have had a counselling line for a long time, the Employee Assistance Programme, but we have seen the levels of stress and anxiety really going high because of the circumstances of Covid-19. The increase in the number of calls has been so high that we had to increase our capacity to handle them,” says Mary Wanjiku, Assistant Wellness Manager at Minet Kenya Insurance.