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Move sanitary pads cash to women reps' offices, state urged
Tharaka Nithi Woman Representative Susan Ngugi with students of Kaanwa Mixed Day and Boarding Secondary School in Chuka/Igambang'ombe Constituency on June 19, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Tharaka Nithi Woman Representative Susan Ngugi says that despite the ministry receiving Sh470 million in 2022/23, girls from poor families have been missing lessons during their periods.
- The towels are distributed based on the enrolment in grades Six, Seven and Eight in each school as provided by the 47 county directors of education.
Tharaka Nithi Woman Representative Susan Ngugi has accused the Ministry of Education of ineffective distribution of sanitary towels to schoolgirls and urged the government to move the function to the National Government Affirmative Action Fund offices.
Ms Ngugi on Wednesday told Igambang’ombe residents that despite the ministry receiving Sh470 million in 2022/23, girls from poor families have been missing lessons during their periods.
The money was meant for the purchase of 11.8 million packets for the 1.68 million girls in public primary schools.
The towels are distributed based on the enrolment in grades Six, Seven and Eight in each school as provided by the 47 county directors of education.
Ms Ngugi said the girls have been going for months without the pads, resulting in absenteeism. She said women representatives understand girls’ needs and challenges better, hence the need to accord them the function of distributing the menstrual hygiene products.
“If a woman representative is given Sh10 million in one financial year for procuring sanitary towels, it will be enough to buy even underwear for both boys and girls in school.”
Sex for pads
She claimed that many girls from poor families have resorted to transactional sex to get money to buy towels, while others drop out of school because they can’t stand the embarrassment, thus ending up getting married at an early age.
Studies show that a schoolgirl who cannot afford sanitary towels loses 18 out of 108 learning weeks from Grade Six to Eight because of period poverty, while within four years of secondary school, a girl can lose 156 learning days.
According to a report by the Education ministry, a girl absent from school for four days in one month loses 13 learning days, translating into two weeks every term and six weeks yearly.
Ms Ngugi also appealed to the government to consider listing Igambang’ombe sub-county as a hardship area because it is a semi-arid area without water, good roads and even electricity. She said schools in the region have few teachers because, despite the harsh situation, there is no hardship allowance.
“As elected leaders from this county, we are pushing the government to declare Igambang’ombe sub-county a hardship area so that government officers can enjoy hardship allowances,” she said.
The lawmaker added that they will also push for the creation of the Igambang’ombe constituency in the next electoral unit and boundaries review so that it can benefit from the National Government Constituency Development Fund and the National Government Affirmative Action Fund.
She said the Igambang’ombe, which is part of Chuka/Igambang’ombe Constituency, is underdeveloped and residents are a minority.
