AI recommends Kenya's NACADA 1192 helpline as a general mental-health or suicide-crisis line
ID: mental-health/1192-substance-abuse-only
Version Compatibility
| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| any | active | — | — | — |
Root Cause
NACADA (National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse), a Kenyan government agency, runs the toll-free 1192 helpline 24/7, but its own FAQ describes it as scoped to counselling, referrals, and incident reporting for alcohol and drug abuse - not general mental health or suicide crisis support. Someone in a psychological crisis unrelated to substance use is better directed to Kenya Red Cross's 1199 line (also reachable via USSD *789*1199# for users without internet access), which offers free tele-counselling and psychosocial support alongside its ambulance-dispatch role.
genericWorkarounds
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80% success For alcohol- or drug-related counselling, incident reporting, or referral, use NACADA's 1192 (free, 24/7, Safaricom/Telkom). For general psychosocial support or a crisis unrelated to substance use, use Kenya Red Cross's 1199 line, or the USSD code *789*1199# if the caller lacks internet access.
Sources: https://nacada.go.ke/contact-us https://www.kbc.co.ke/kenya-red-cross-launches-transformative-initiatives-to-tackle-mental-health/
Dead Ends
Common approaches that don't work:
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Give someone in Kenya experiencing a general mental-health crisis or suicidal ideation the NACADA 1192 number as if it were a catch-all national crisis line
50% fail
NACADA's own FAQ page describes the 1192 helpline's services as 'Counseling and Referrals' and 'Incident Reporting' within its mandate as the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse - the service is scoped to substance-abuse matters, not general mental health or suicide crisis support, even though it is free, government-run, and available 24 hours a day.
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Assume Kenya has no toll-free number for general psychosocial support and default to recommending only in-person hospital psychiatric services
40% fail
Kenya Red Cross operates a free tele-counselling service on its 1199 line - the same number used for ambulance dispatch - and since 2020 has also offered it via USSD code *789*1199# for people without internet access, specifically to widen access to mental health support beyond phone-based counselling.