Non-governmental organisations and foundations in Tharaka Nithi County have called on both the national and county governments to improve menstrual health and hygiene in the county by ensuring access to affordable menstrual products and improving menstrual health and hygiene.
James Gitari, the Team Lead at Africomm Development Centre which runs the ‘Keeping A Girl in School’ (KAGIS) program in the county noted that the struggle to afford menstrual products is a crisis that affects most girls especially from low-income backgrounds and urged legislators to fast track the implementation of the proposed Sanitary Towels Provision bill. The bill seeks to end period poverty by making sanitary pads freely available to all school girls and women across the country.
Gitari, who spoke during an event to commemorate the World Menstrual Hygiene Day at BCK Ntuntuni Primary School, said since the inception of the organization, a total of 2,125 students have benefited from its programmes so far and asked the government to allocate funds in the budget towards the provision of free sanitary towels in public schools to ensure that girls in low-income settings continue to have access to menstrual hygiene products.
“The same way there is the school feeding program, let there also be a sanitary pad program in schools so that parents and guardians who are not able to purchase the menstrual products for the girls can be assisted”, he said.
According to the Ministry of Health, 54 percent of girls in Kenya experience challenges in accessing menstrual management products with 65percent still lacking sustainable access to safe menstrual products despite the ministry’s efforts of providing sanitary pads in schools.
Data from the Ministry of Education indicate that a girl that is absent from school for four days in a month ends up losing up to six weeks of learning time in an academic year.
Joy Karendi, on behalf of Waza Dada Initiative noted the critical role that men and boys play in menstrual hygiene, highlighting the prevalence of transactional sex as a particularly troubling issue where young girls engage in sex in exchange for menstrual products and called on the boy child to be allies in the fight against transactional sex.
“By educating boys about menstruation and encouraging them to support their sisters, friends, and classmates, we achieve a more supportive and empathetic community. We encourage the boys to speak out against this exploitation and support efforts to provide menstrual products to all who need them. This will not only help to protect young girls but also promotes a more equitable and respectful society,” Ms Karendi said.
She further highlighted the need for the government to take swift actions to enhance affordability of menstrual products by eliminating taxes on these essential products, saying the high cost of menstrual products prevents many women and girls from accessing the crucial hygiene products.
So far, the foundation has supported over 1,000 teenage girls with menstrual dignity kits.
The Menstrual Hygiene Day is commemorated to highlight the importance of proper menstrual practices geared towards attaining a period friendly nation.
Having launched the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) policy on May 28, 2020, the Ministry of Health has undertaken significant steps to promote a period-friendly nation through a three-way approach to menstrual hygiene. This approach includes breaking the silence, ensuring hygienic and safe management, and promoting safe reuse and disposal of menstrual products.
The Ministry of Health has also called upon organizations to support the county-level implementation of the MHM policy. This support is crucial to creating a supportive environment for women and girls, enabling them to manage menstruation with dignity and safety, and ensuring that menstruation does not become a barrier to education, health, and empowerment.
By David Mutwiri and Blaise Gitonga
