NAKURU — Kenyan officials and activists are calling on the government to guarantee a steady monthly supply of free sanitary towels in all public schools, warning that a lack of menstrual hygiene products is forcing thousands of girls out of classrooms and in some cases, into early motherhood.
At an event marking Menstrual Hygiene Day in Nakuru’s Rongai Sub-County, Nakuru County’s Chief Officer for Gender, Gladys Kamuren, said the government must treat sanitary pads with the same urgency as textbooks.
“Children cannot learn without books, and girls cannot learn without pads,” she said. “They are a basic need.”
Kamuren warned that many families, especially in rural and arid parts of Kenya, simply cannot afford sanitary products. That, she said, has led to girls skipping school, falling behind, and in some cases dropping out altogether.
Speaking to reporters at Barina Primary School, she urged Parliament and specifically women lawmakers to push for a national motion mandating monthly distributions of sanitary towels in schools.
“This should not be left to the goodwill of organisations or elected women leaders,” she said. “It must be a government priority.”
An Unfulfilled Promise
Kamuren also took aim at the national government, calling on President William Ruto to revive a campaign promise made during his time as Deputy President under Uhuru Kenyatta to provide every school-going girl with sanitary towels.
“That promise meant something,” she said. “It gave girls hope. We need to keep it alive.”
Currently, the responsibility for distributing pads is largely left to Woman Representatives under the National Government Affirmative Action Fund. But officials argue this system is inconsistent and underfunded.
“Gender departments want to do more,” Kamuren said. “But we don’t have a budget for this.”
The Bigger Picture
The call for reform comes as studies continue to show the damaging impact that period poverty has on education in Kenya. According to various NGOs, girls without access to sanitary pads miss an average of four to five days of school each month.
Ruth Nderitu, Programme Manager at Dandelion Africa a local NGO working on menstrual health said this absence often snowballs into school dropouts.
“Sanitary pads are not a luxury,” she said. “They’re a basic need. And when girls don’t have them, they don’t go to school. It’s that simple.”
Dandelion Africa has been working in 55 schools across Baringo, Kajiado, Narok and Nakuru counties. By ensuring girls have consistent access to pads, the group says it has helped increase school retention rates among teenage girls to 95 per cent.
“Our Girls for Leaders and Boys for Change clubs have made a difference, but we can’t do this alone,” Nderitu said. “We need others government, communities, businesses to join us.”
A Cry for Action
Kamuren painted a stark picture of life in Rongai, where high poverty and cultural taboos around menstruation further isolate girls.
“Parents here don’t always see pads as essential,” she said. “And even if they do, many can’t afford them.”
On Menstrual Hygiene Day, several organisations visited Barina Primary School to distribute pads. But Kamuren was quick to note the limitations of charity.
“Today’s supply is helpful,” she said. “But what happens tomorrow? Or next month? This cannot be a one-day gesture.”
As officials and activists push for national action, the issue remains deeply personal for the girls at the heart of the debate girls whose education, health, and futures may hang on a monthly supply of a simple necessity.
