When salary delays turn into a mental health battle for Kenyans

For nine months, Emily kept going to work hoping her employer would pay her salary at the end of the month. When the date came, there was no notification from her bank. Her employer kept promising that the next month would be better and that all arrears would be paid in full. Emily works for a government-affiliated road authority and, fearing victimisation, she requested anonymity.

"I have been waiting for that promise for nine months," she tells Nation.

Emily worked hard in school and qualified to study civil engineering. She is now a certified mid-level engineer, but she is struggling to survive because of financial constraints and fewer opportunities to work in her field.

"When your income becomes unpredictable, your brain stays in survival mode. I get a lot of stress because I worry about how I will pay my bills with no income," she says.

Even before the financial difficulties began, Emily had been seeing a therapist, and she credits that decision with keeping her going through what she describes as a difficult period. "I am trying to find another source of income that will help," she says.

In the same organisation, but a different branch, Bernard, who works as a technologist, has faced the same predicament for the past six months. The day before Nation spoke to him, he had received a call from a bank that had offered him a loan, asking for repayment.

"I was supposed to service that loan for three months, from December to February. I did not. I just explained to the lady who called me, and she understood," he says.

Bernard is not sure how long the situation will last, or how long the banks will remain understanding. He continues going to work every day, mostly to keep his mind occupied, but says he has little motivation left.

"This has affected my family in a big way. I have pending bills for rent, food, and so many other things. I have no other sources of income," he says.

Friends from whom he borrowed soft loans are pressing him for repayment. Calls to his employer about the unpaid salaries have yielded little reassurance. "From the information I have received, there is no likelihood of getting the money soon," he says.

Bernard has not sought professional help for his stress. He says he cannot afford a therapist. He also worries about falling sick since unpaid salaries mean he has not been able to pay for the Social Health Authority in six months. "I can only talk to a friend or somebody close to me," he says.

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Bernard and Emily represent nine in every 10 Kenyans, or 87 per cent, who are currently experiencing financial stress that is affecting their mental health. This is according to a new report released this week by Cigna Healthcare Middle East and Africa.

The report shows that more Kenyans are willing to openly discuss their mental health struggles, but it also records an increase in stress levels compared to 2024, when 84 per cent of Kenyans reported being stressed. Financial constraints and the high cost of living are cited as the main drivers.

Despite the elevated stress levels, Kenyans also report a degree of resilience, which they attribute to strong family, physical and spiritual foundations.

The survey drew on feedback from about 13,000 respondents across Kenya, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.

The report identifies financial wellbeing as the weakest pillar among Kenyans, and notes that the burden falls unevenly. Young adults aged 18 to 24 report the highest stress levels and significant declines across mental, physical and family wellbeing, pointing to growing vulnerability in that age group alongside broader financial strain across the population. The most commonly reported effects of financial stress include disrupted sleep, withdrawal from social life and heightened emotional reactivity, with agitation and overreacting cited as the most frequent emotional responses.

Psychologist Silas Kiriinya says that when people go to work, they do so expecting to earn something at the end of the month. When that does not happen, motivation collapses and the thought of work itself becomes a source of stress.

"During this period, there are relationships that are likely to break because of financial struggles, and that opens another door to mental difficulty," he says. Some people also lose friendships because they no longer feel they belong in spaces where their financial situation sets them apart.

The effects can move beyond the mental. "If stress continues because of lack of payment, some people may get sick and develop physiological effects. This is where the stress moves from just the mental aspect to a physical part of the body. That is why some individuals may develop stomach ulcers, headaches or gastritis," Kiriinya explains.

In some cases, people develop habits such as heavy drinking, which worsens their situation further.

He says that for an organisation to succeed, it must attend to the holistic wellness of its employees — and that means going beyond the salary. "To do such a thing to any employee is to destroy them. It not only weakens them financially but pushes them towards mental illness, and that will affect productivity over time," he says.

His advice to employees in this situation is to seek professional help from therapists or spiritual leaders, while also working to acquire new skills that could open alternative sources of income.

Research backs up the link between financial stress and health outcomes. A study published in a United States scientific journal recommends screening for financial stress among young adults as a public health priority, noting that mental health is a key determinant of job performance and an established risk factor for premature exit from employment.

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"Given the long-term individual and societal implications of health and wellness in young adulthood, our study underscores the urgency of informed policy decisions and supportive environments to mitigate financial strain and empower young adults to thrive," the study states.

A separate study published in the journal BMC Public Health, which surveyed the impact of financial stress on radiographers in Kenya, found that even slight financial worry was associated with an increased likelihood of psychological distress, and that chronic financial strain contributes to elevated levels of depressive symptoms over time.

The BMC study draws on the stress and coping theory, which holds that social support significantly shapes how people handle difficulty.

"When we feel supported and capable of coping, our stress tends to decrease," the study notes. "Social support from family, friends and significant others is negatively associated with perceived stress, suggesting that such support reduces it."

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