The United Asian Network (UAN) Breaks the Silence on Men’s Mental Health and Resilience

NAIROBI, KENYA — On May 13th, the United Asian Network (UAN), in partnership with Dr. Rasik Kantaria Jalaram Medical Services (RKJMS), hosted a landmark symposium titled "The Weight We Carry: Path to Resilience". The event brought together a heavy-hitting panel of clinical experts, business leaders, and legal professionals to address the "silent partner" in business: mental health.

The following insights from the event's speakers demonstrate why mental health deserves equal attention to physical and professional success:

1. Breaking the Silence: From Taboo to Dialogue

A Cultural Shift: The symposium emphasized that mental health is the "silent partner" in business that must be openly discussed to build true community resilience.
Addressing the "Hidden Tax": Dr. Bimal Kantaria and Asim Shah explored the psychological weight leaders carry—often in silence—to maintain an image of success while navigating internal struggles.
Choosing Vulnerability: Fareed Khimani shared his journey of choosing vulnerability over cultural stoicism, highlighting that healing requires actively "killing" harmful traditional definitions of manhood.

2. The Clinical Reality: Mental Health is Physical Health

Biological Impact: Dr. Victor Ng'ani explained that suppressed emotional pain is not just "in the head"—it manifests as "physical echoes" such as chronic pain and insomnia.
The "Perfect Son" Syndrome: Dr. Prashna Shah identified how behavioral pressure to be a "model minority" creates a dangerous disconnect between a man’s external success and his internal reality.
Providing a Vocabulary: Dr. Tahir Kadernani noted that silence is often a result of men lacking the language to describe their pain, a gap that clinical support helps bridge.

3. Legal and Professional Equality

The Mental Health (Amendment) Act, 2022: Ishi Kalsi highlighted that Kenyan law now mandates employers to support mental health and prohibits discrimination, treating it with the same weight as physical workplace safety.
Reframing the "Provider Trap": Peter Kipchirchir addressed how societal focus on a man’s paycheck can damage his sense of self, advocating for a broader definition of value within the family unit.
Emotional Transformation: Rishi Khubchandani focused on unlearning the "internal critic" and common lies men believe about manhood to foster emotional honesty.

A Call to Action

The symposium concluded that for the men in the community to thrive, families and workplaces must move beyond "nagging" and create environments where seeking support is respected as a path to power.

Sponsors of this Dialogue: