After a day of intense online discussion sparked by her father’s public revelation about her mental health struggles, Saumu Mbuvi has broken her silence, choosing vulnerability over silence and stigma.
In nm Instagram post, Saumu addressed the scrutiny and speculation that followed former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s admission that his daughter battles bipolar disorder.
Sonko’s revelation came during a recent interview, where he shared that Saumu had once sought treatment at Mama Amina’s rehabilitation centre in Mombasa alongside media personality Kimani Mbugua and former boxing champion Conjestina Achieng.
“The rich also cry, we also suffer in silence,” Sonko said, adding that he deliberately chose a local facility instead of seeking treatment abroad. “It’s not that I didn’t have money to treat my daughter in the US or London; mimi napenda kulia na maskini sana… I took my own daughter kwa Mama Amina akatibiwa pamoja na Kimani na Conjestina.”
While the revelation was meant to highlight the universality of mental illness, it also thrust Saumu into the public eye, reigniting conversations about privacy, stigma, and mental health awareness in Kenya.
Now, in her own words, Saumu has spoken up; not to defend herself, but to reclaim her narrative.
“Lately, so much has been said about me, things that cut deeply, especially because they came from people I love. I’ve been called names, judged, and misunderstood by many who never stopped to ask what I was truly going through,” she wrote.
“Yes, I’ve battled bipolar disorder, a condition that has tested me in ways words can hardly explain. But what I have never battled is drug addiction. I was never in rehab for that.”
Saumu clarified that her visits to rehabilitation centres were not due to drug abuse but part of her mental health journey — seeking help to “find herself again.”
“It hurts to be shamed for trying to heal. It hurts even more when that shame comes from your own blood,” she wrote, adding that pain has taught her resilience. “Pain can be sacred; it awakens strength you didn’t know you had.”
Her post, raw and reflective, struck a chord across social media, with fans and mental health advocates praising her courage to speak out in a society that often stigmatizes such conversations.
Saumu’s message was also one of hope and self-compassion.
“To anyone who has ever been mocked for their mental health journey, or judged for needing help: please know, you are not broken. You are human. You are worthy of understanding and love,” she wrote.
“I may be bruised, but I am not destroyed.”
The 29-year-old entrepreneur and mother of two concluded her statement with a note of faith:
“My story isn’t one of shame — it’s one of survival, courage, and faith. And I know that with time, God will turn even this pain into purpose. It’s okay not to be okay.”