With the growing number of mental health cases in Kenya, IILA has been keen to support the development of mental health best practices. Together with partners, IILA seeks to promote legislation around mental well-being. Mental health is a crucial component of our overall well-being. IILA has been instrumental in supporting the development of the Mental Health Bill (2018) which was introduced to Senate by Senator Sylvia Kasanga. Additionally, IILA shared its submissions to the National Parliament. The 1989 Mental Health Act has not been amended since 1991. As a result, some of its provisions are out of date and even at odds with Kenya's constitution and incompatible with present international standards. 

In December 2019, the Cabinet Secretary for Health Sicily Kariuki announced a Taskforce to assess mental health systems and mental wellbeing of Kenyans. She noted that there has been a rise of suicide mortality, acts of violence and the burden of mental health
conditions and a taskforce was set in place was to assess the causes of the increase in mental ill-health occurrences and recommend transformative ssolutions to the epidemic. The taskforce was set up to assess the mental health systems including the legal, policy and administrative environment to identify areas that may benefit from reform.

Following release of the Mental Health Taskforce Report in mid-2020, IILA liaised with civil society organizations, government commissions and relevant stakeholders to analyze the report and thereafter submitted recommendations with the proposal that the same be codified in the pending legislation (Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2018). IILA contributed to a joint statement on mental health proposals published in the largest national newspaper on World Mental Health Day. Chief among these is the proposal for increased public funding for mental health and devolving and/or integrating of mental health services in general health facilities nationwide.