East African states sign mental health declaration in Kampala

East African Community partner states backed a Kampala Declaration on Oct. 22 to strengthen mental health policy, financing and access across the region. The move could shape a formal EAC approach as governments look to expand community-based care and integrate mental health into primary health systems.

Why it matters: - The Kampala Declaration is a regional commitment to treat mental health as a development priority across East Africa. - The declaration targets a region where an estimated one in eight people, or about 12.6%, live with a mental health condition. - The pledge could push governments toward more funding, broader access and better coordination on mental health services.

What happened: - Governments of the East African Community signed the Kampala Declaration at the close of the 2nd annual East African Mental Health Summit on Thursday, Oct. 22, in Kampala. - Partner states also backed a call from Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, to use the declaration as the basis for formal EAC mental health policy. - Government representatives from Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Sudan signed the declaration. - Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda are expected to respond after review in their capitals.

The details: - The declaration and proposed EAC policy call for whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to mental health. - The text pushes partner states to integrate mental health into primary care. - The declaration calls for sustainable financing for mental health. - Governments pledged to strengthen community-led approaches and reduce stigma. - The declaration also commits governments to integrate mental health into emergency and humanitarian response frameworks. - The policy encourages use of innovation to expand equitable access while protecting privacy and human rights. - The declaration calls for mental health indicators to be included in national data collection. - The regional commitment also seeks policy harmonization, workforce development and knowledge exchange. - Governments committed to raising mental health spending to at least 2% of national health budgets. - Kadaga serves as First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda, Minister for East African Community Affairs and Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers. - Uganda currently chairs the EAC, putting the declaration at the center of the regional body’s agenda.

Between the lines: - The declaration gives the EAC a potential blueprint for a shared mental health policy instead of separate national approaches. - The emphasis on community-based care reflects a push for lower-cost, wider-reach services in a region with limited access to specialists. - The financing target is a clear test of whether governments will turn political support into budget commitments. - Vincent Mujune, Uganda Country Director for StrongMinds, said the developments reinforce political will to treat mental health as a development priority and align with the 2025 UN Political Declaration target of 150 million more people gaining access to mental health care by 2030.

What's next: - Progress on the declaration will be reviewed annually. - EAC partner states are expected to align national mental health plans with the declaration’s goals. - The declaration calls for a regional platform to support dialogue, cooperation and progress monitoring. - African health leaders are preparing for the 7th Ministerial Mental Health Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2027, hosted by the Government of Rwanda.

The bottom line: - East African governments have taken a formal step toward a regional mental health framework, but the real test is whether the declaration leads to policy adoption, budget increases and measurable access gains.