Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Kenya: 2026 Guide

By Team TherapyRoute

The short answer: who regulates counselling and psychology in Kenya

Counselling and psychology in Kenya are regulated by one statutory body: the Counsellors and Psychologists Board, usually shortened to CPB. It registers and licenses both professions under one law: the Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014.¹

The Board was established on 5 August 2022 under section 3 of that Act. It is a State Corporation,² and its work is to regulate these professions and protect the public.

A voluntary professional association is not the same thing. Under the Act, being legally qualified means being registered with the Board.³

You may also see the letters "cprb" in a web address. That is the Board's online services portal on eCitizen, not a separate body.⁴ The Act separately names a Counsellors and Psychologists Society of Kenya, established under section 15. Section 6 gives the registering and licensing function to the Board.

How to reach the Counsellors and Psychologists Board

The Board uses two separate web addresses. One is for information; the other is for applying and paying.

Board contact and portal details last checked July 2026.

The information site also publishes an email address, CPB.health22@gmail.com. That contact page contradicts itself on the address: the contact block gives Afya House, Cathedral Road, the footer gives Harambee House, Harambee Avenue, and a leftover template placeholder reading "2 Queen Street, California US" also appears on the page. Because such details change, confirm the current address and email on the official site cpb.health.go.ke before you write or post.

Registering as a counsellor or psychologist: requirements, steps and fees

The Act sets the same broad path for both professions, with only the qualifying field differing. You register first, then you apply for a licence.

What you need to qualify

Section 23 of the Act lists the qualifications you need before you can register:

• For a counsellor, a diploma degree in counselling from a recognised university.⁶
• For a psychologist, a diploma degree in psychology from a recognised university.⁶
• A pass in an examination set by the Board.⁶
• Being of good moral character and a fit and proper person.⁶

"Diploma degree" is the Act's own wording in section 23; the clause does not separate a diploma from a degree, so confirm with the Board which qualification it accepts.

The Board administers these examinations and approves the courses that count towards registration.⁷

The steps

1. Create an eCitizen account and sign in at cprb.ecitizen.go.ke, the Board's online services portal. You apply and pay for the Board's services there.
2. Apply in the prescribed form to the Registrar, with the prescribed fee.⁶
3. Once the Board accepts you as eligible, you are registered and the Registrar issues a certificate.⁶
4. Apply for a practising licence. You may not practise as a counsellor or psychologist until you are registered, hold a valid licence issued by the Board,⁸ and meet the continuing education and supervision requirements.⁸

A practising licence runs for one year, from 1 January to 31 December,⁹ and may be renewed upon expiry. The licence year is fixed to that window, so on the wording of section 29(1) a licence issued mid-year still expires on 31 December; confirm the expiry date with the Board when you apply. A person whose licence has not been renewed for one year or more may apply to the Board for renewal. Section 29(2) sets four conditions for that application:

• Swearing an affidavit in the prescribed form explaining the reasons for non-renewal.
• Payment of the licence fee for the current licence period.
• Presentation of evidence to the Board that all applicable conditions for renewal have been met.
• Payment of the annual subscription fee for the current licence period.

The Board may refuse to issue or to renew a licence, and a person aggrieved by that decision may appeal to the High Court, which may annul or vary it. Section 36 sets a thirty-day window for appealing a Board decision. Only a licensed person may recover a fee for counselling or psychology services.⁹

What it costs

The Act refers only to prescribed fees, which are paid through the eCitizen portal.⁴ The service catalogue and fee amounts are behind the eCitizen login and are not publicly published.

For current figures, sign in to the portal or ask the Board directly. Some renewal, continuing-education and supervision specifics are set out in Regulations made under the Act.⁸ Where those details are not published, confirm the current requirements with the Board.

How to check your counsellor or psychologist is legally registered

If you are choosing a counsellor or psychologist, or have concerns about one, the check that matters is whether that person is registered under the Act and holds a valid practising licence.

The Registrar keeps a register of everyone registered under the Act.¹⁰ The Registrar also publishes in the Gazette, as soon as may be practicable after registration, the name of every counsellor or psychologist registered under the Act. Licensing is published separately. Once in every year, as soon as convenient after 1 January but not later than 31 March, the Registrar publishes in the Gazette a list containing the names, qualifications and registered addresses of all licensed counsellors and psychologists.⁹

Publication of the list of registered counsellors and psychologists in the Gazette is prima facie evidence that the people named on it are registered, and the absence of a name from that list is prima facie evidence that the person is not registered.¹⁰ Prima facie means it is taken as evidence unless the contrary is shown.

The dependable route is to ask the Board to confirm a named person. Use the phone number or website above.

A few practical checks help:

• Ask to see the registration certificate the Registrar issues to each registered person.⁶
• Remember that an unlicensed person cannot recover a fee for this work.⁹
• Treat it as a warning sign if someone uses the title but cannot prove registration.

What counsellors and psychologists may and may not do

The Act works mainly in three ways: registration, licensing and protected titles. The Act's definitions do not cover diagnosis, and its registration, licensing and conduct provisions do not list clinical procedures. Those questions are governed by the Board's guidelines⁷ and Kenya's wider health laws. The Board also determines the fees to be charged by counsellors, psychologists and firms for professional services rendered.

Private practice has a specific meaning in the Act. It is practising counselling or psychology on your own behalf, for a fee.³ Doing that lawfully means being registered and licensed.

Prescribing medicine is outside the scope of the Counsellors and Psychologists Act. Under the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act, a person who practises or professes to practise medicine without being registered or licensed under that Act commits an offence.¹¹ The title of doctor is protected separately, by section 22(3) of that Act. Using it is an offence unless the person is registered or licensed under that Act as a medical practitioner or dentist, or has acquired doctoral qualifications which entitle them to use the title. The penalty there runs to a fine of up to five million shillings, or up to five years in prison, or both.

A counsellor or psychologist is not automatically a medical practitioner. Without that separate registration, they do not prescribe medicine. For medication, see a medical doctor or psychiatrist alongside the therapy.

Protected titles, complaints and discipline

The titles counsellor and psychologist are protected. Using them, or claiming to practise, without registration is an offence. That offence is set out in section 37 of the Act.¹² Section 37(2) provides one exception to the title offence, for a person who has acquired a higher academic doctoral qualification which entitles that person to use the title.

Section 37 does not apply to a duly qualified person employed to work as a psychologist or counsellor by the national or county government.¹²

The Act sets out a complaints route. Anyone dissatisfied may make a written complaint to the Board. The person complained about is then given a chance to be heard.¹⁴ Apart from that process, the Board may on request act as an arbitrator in a dispute between a licensed counsellor or psychologist and a client.

The Board can respond in several ways. It may remove the name from the register. It may suspend the licence or registration for up to twelve months, or cancel the licence.¹⁴

The Board may not remove a name from the register or cancel a licence unless the decision is supported by a majority of all the Board members.¹⁴

The grounds for misconduct are set out in the Act. They include gross negligence, abusing a position of trust, and abandoning a client.¹⁵

You may appeal a Board decision to the High Court within thirty days.¹⁶

Sources, and finding a registered therapist in Kenya

Everything above is drawn from Kenya's own law and the Board's official pages. Use the sources below to check any detail for yourself.

You can browse therapists in Kenya on TherapyRoute, filtering by language and fee. Confirm registration with the Board before you book. Our guide on choosing the right therapist sets out what to look for.

References

1. [1] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), sections 3 and 4 (Establishment and Composition of the Board) cpb.health.go.ke.
2. [2] Counsellors and Psychologists Board — official site (cpb.health.go.ke, About the Board, rendered 2026-07-18): the statutory regulator, established 5 August 2022 under Section 3 of the Counsellors and Psychologists Act No. 14 of 2014; a State Corporation mandated to regulate the counselling and psychology professions and protect consumers in Kenya. cpb.health.go.ke/about-board.
3. [3] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), section 2 (Interpretation) cpb.health.go.ke.
4. [4] eCitizen CPB services portal (cprb.ecitizen.go.ke, rendered 2026-07-18): the official online portal to 'Apply and pay for the [Counsellors and Psychologists Board] services conveniently through your eCitizen account'. This is the applications/payment portal (distinct from the informational site cpb.health.go.ke); its published contact line is 'Telephone: +254 748655769'. The service catalogue and fee amounts sit behind eCitizen login and are not publicly published. cprb.ecitizen.go.ke.
5. [5] Counsellors and Psychologists Board official contact (cpb.health.go.ke/contact-us, rendered 2026-07-18): Afya House, Cathedral Road, P.O Box 30016-00100, Nairobi; Phone +254-20-717077; Email CPB.health22@gmail.com. NOTE the page is internally inconsistent — the footer 'Contact info' block instead gives 'Harambee House, Harambee Avenue' — and carries a leftover template placeholder ('2 Queen Street, California US'). The +254-748-655769 number and cp.board@health.go.ke email do NOT appear on the CPB site; the 748655769 line belongs to the eCitizen portal. cpb.health.go.ke/contact-us.
6. [6] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), sections 23 and 24 (Qualifications for registration; Registration) cpb.health.go.ke.
7. [7] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), section 6 (Functions of the Board) cpb.health.go.ke.
8. [8] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), section 28 (Licence to practice) cpb.health.go.ke.
9. [9] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), sections 29 to 31 (Period of validity of licences; Publication of licensing; No fees for unlicensed persons) cpb.health.go.ke.
10. [10] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), sections 25 to 27 (Register of counsellors and psychologists; Alterations to the register; Publication of registration) cpb.health.go.ke.
11. [11] The Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap. 253, Rev. 2019), section 22 (Penalty for unregistered and unlicensed person practising) kmpdc.go.ke.
12. [12] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), section 37 (Offences by unregistered or unlicensed persons — protected titles “counsellor”/“psychologist”) cpb.health.go.ke.
13. [13] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), section 32 (False registration or licensing) cpb.health.go.ke.
14. [14] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), section 34 (Disciplinary proceedings by the Board) cpb.health.go.ke.
15. [15] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), section 33 (Professional misconduct) cpb.health.go.ke.
16. [16] The Counsellors and Psychologists Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014, Cap. 253C, Rev. 2022), sections 35 and 36 (Effect of removal, suspension or cancellation; Appeals) cpb.health.go.ke.