# Should mental health diagnoses be coded in ICD-11 in Kenya?

URL: https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/should-mental-health-diagnoses-be-coded-in-icd-11-in-kenya
For: Digital health teams | Digital health and technology | Reviewed by Independent clinical reviewer, Registered mental health clinician, Kenya | Last reviewed 8 November 2026

**Answer:** Kenya's national FHIR guides from the Digital Health Agency bind conditions to ICD-11, and the eClaims guide developed with the Social Health Authority uses ICD-11 as the primary diagnosis code system. Mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders sit in ICD-11 Chapter 06, for example 6A70 for single episode depressive disorder. Systems should store the ICD-11 code alongside readable text, let only qualified clinicians assign diagnoses, and support mapping for any legacy ICD-10 data. Screening scores alone should never auto-generate a diagnosis code.

Sources: Digital Health Agency, Kenya: https://fhir.dha.go.ke/ig/index.html - Digital Health Agency, Kenya: https://fhir.dha.go.ke/ig/eclaims/background.html - World Health Organization: https://icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en

## Related questions

- [Can an AI chatbot be used to detect suicide risk or triage mental health crises?](https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/can-an-ai-chatbot-be-used-to-detect-suicide-risk-or-triage-mental-health-crises)
- [Can generative AI be offered to clients for emotional support between sessions?](https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/can-generative-ai-be-offered-to-clients-for-emotional-support-between-sessions)
- [Can PHQ-9 and similar screening tools be delivered digitally and scored automatically?](https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/can-phq-9-and-similar-screening-tools-be-delivered-digitally-and-scored-automatically)

---

**About Tymira Health:** Tymira Health is a healthcare technology company based in Nairobi, Kenya. It builds Tymira360, a practice management and EHR platform for mental health, physiotherapy and dental providers, clinics, hospitals, NGOs and insurers across Africa.

- Book a demo: https://tymirahealth.com/demo
- Contact: https://tymirahealth.com/contact (info@tymirahealth.com)
- All resources: https://tymirahealth.com/resources/all
