New AI tool tackling student mental health crisis as depression bites

Attendees at the Shamiri Summit on November 14, 2025. /HANDOUT

Across Kenya, the silent weight of mental distress is pressing harder on students than imagined.

Behind classroom attendance registers and examination grades lies a troubling reality: 57.7 per cent of students are experiencing depression.

For students grappling with depression or anxiety, early intervention can be decisive as mental health challenges are closely linked to absenteeism, declining academic performance and school dropouts.

Speaking in Nairobi on October 10, 2025, Health Right Kenya country director Benson Simba warned that nearly half of learners in higher education are battling mental health challenges.

“Research shows that nearly 50 per cent of university students across the country are struggling with one form of mental health issue. It could be anxiety, depression,” Simba said during a forum dubbed Minds in Motion.

Though the statistics represent university demography, the pattern is equally concerning and reflective of the situation among high schoolers.

A 2024 research by the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) cited family instability, academic pressure, social expectations, environmental stress and economic hardship as leading causes of psychological distress among learners.

Yet access to professional help remains limited as a country of more than 50 million people is served by fewer than 500 psychiatrists.

This means for many young people, especially those in public institutions, formal therapy is either inaccessible or unaffordable.

It is within this context that the youth-led Shamiri Institute has introduced an artificial intelligence-powered platform, shamiriAI, aimed at strengthening mental health support within schools.

A notable feature of the system is its multilingual ability that endears it to young people. Its automatic speech recognition model has been configured to respond to commands in English, Kiswahili and Sheng, 

This ensures that the technology reflects authentic classroom interactions rather than imposing rigid linguistic frameworks.

By embedding support within familiar school environments, the model reduces stigma and removes logistical barriers that often prevent young people from seeking help.

Rather than positioning the tool as a replacement for human care, the initiative embeds AI within an existing peer-led support model that has already reached more than 185,000 students across Kenya.

Shamiri’s programme operates inside high schools and is delivered by trained peer providers aged between 18 and 22.

The intervention focuses on practical tools that build resilience, emotional regulation and self-belief.

According to the organisation, the model has reduced anxiety and depression symptoms by up to 80 per cent, with effects lasting up to three years.

At an average cost of Sh1,000 per student, the new AI platform is significantly cheaper than conventional therapy.

It uses data analytics, machine learning and speech recognition to help peer counsellors and supervisors provide consistent, evidence-based sessions.

By analysing conversations and offering real-time feedback, the system aims to strengthen adherence to proven behavioural science methods.

Predictive modelling is also used to tailor support to individual students and flag those who may be at greater risk.

Founder and chief executive Tom Osborn announced the platform at the 2025 Shamiri Summit held in November, outlining an ambitious target to reach 10 million young people by 2031 through technology-enhanced mental health programmes.

“Good mental health is the foundation for learning and thriving. By integrating AI into school-based programmes, we’re making it possible for students everywhere to access care that is smart, local and effective. Care that understands them,” Osborn said.

The innovation has drawn international attention with French Ambassador to Kenya and Somalia, Arnaud Suquet, linking the development to broader global conversations about responsible AI.

“A broader collaboration of technologies with societal future is essential. It is what was echoed at the Paris Summit on AI that was held in February this year. Technology and AI can rightly address global health issues. Kenya is well-positioned to be at the forefront of this, and Shamiri has stood out with a solution,” Suquet said.

As pressure mounts on institutions to respond to the escalating mental health burden, Simba called for a multisectoral response to the growing crisis, urging closer collaboration across education, health and community sectors.

"It's a problem that requires that we work all of us together including the Ministry of Health, Higher Education and all other key stakeholders that are relevant because we appreciate that the determinants that impact on health are environmental, social and economic in nature."

While the introduction of AI into school-based care does not resolve the structural shortage of mental health professionals, it offers a pragmatic attempt to widen access using locally developed innovation.