Over 131,000 girls in public Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in Kakamega County will each receive eight packets of free sanitary towels courtesy of the Woman Representative’s office.
The County Women Representative Elsie Muhanda who launched the distribution exercise at Savala Primary School, in Lugari constituency during International Menstrual Hygiene Day said the programme was aimed at keeping the girls in school during their periods and boosting their academic performance.
She said the initiative was not only a big relief to girls from poor backgrounds, but also to teachers who have been spending personal money to purchase sanitary towels for them.
“Our girls from low income families have been suffering a lot. Some have been using pieces of clothes and blankets as sanitary towels during their menstrual cycle. Others who could afford a sanitary towel have been dividing it into two, in order to use it twice,”
she said regrettably.
The County Director of Education Hellen Nyang’au lauded the Woman Law Maker for the programme saying it would play a great role in fighting menstrual stigma besides making the girls confident at school.
“The sanitary towels will keep the girls at school throughout the menstrual cycle. They will also ensure the female learners are confident while at school rather than being suspicious of themselves all the time,” she said.
“This will improve their academic performance because we have seen a great improvement of girls both in primary and secondary schools ever since the government started giving out sanitary towels through the mama county program.
“Besides, there will be a high rate of retention of girls in our schools because they will no longer drop out due to lack of sanitary towels,” the Woman Rep observed.
Nyang’au said a sanitary towel to a female learner is a basic need that should not be ignored.
The County Commissioner Michael Mwangi said the major role of the national government administration officers was to ensure government policies and programs were properly articulated at the grassroots.
“Ours is to create an enabling environment and ensure a program such as the distribution of sanitary towels is done to completion,” he stated.
He said one of the government’s objectives was to ensure all children of school going age attended school and completed their studies.
“I want to tell parents that all children with the requisite age must go to school. The education system is very clear that we must have 100 percent enrollment and retention in our schools. This means that once a child has enrolled regardless of the circumstances the school principals and head teachers must ensure he or she completes its studies,” Mwangi said.
Chekalini Member of County Assembly Titus Kwoma and his Lwandeti counterpart Dan Mukwami lauded the Woman Representative for the initiative saying it would enable the female learners to always
Kwoma reminded the learners across the county that the government was pumping a lot of resources to ensure the teaching and learning environment was conducive hence they should make good use of it.
Kakamega County KEPSHA chair Andrew Omusale called on the national government administrators to sensitize parents on why the school girls needed the sanitary towels.
“Some of our parents need to be cautioned. Some will take and use the sanitary towels, while others will give them to their elder daughters in secondary school to the disadvantage of the targeted beneficiaries,” he stated, reminding parents that the sanitary towels were meant for Primary and Junior Secondary Schools students.
Also present was Lugari Deputy County Commissioner Simon Mutai and Lugari Assistant County Commissioner Wambua Mbinya.
By Melechezedeck Ejakait
