Editor’s Note: Advocating for yourself includes understanding your body. Download our new resource, My Period Diary (a free, printable period tracker), to record when your period starts, how long it lasts, and keep track of any signs and symptoms you may have.

Author: Gladys Njeri, STF Youth Ambassador from Kenya

While menstrual stigma has long been a political topic, one Hon. Gloria Orwoba made a very public plea for women’s and girls’ rights this year in a new and different way. A first-time senator, Hon. Orwoba made her way to the Kenya Parliamentary session on 14th February 2023 in clothing that had menstrual blood. She was asked to leave halfway through the session after her fellow parliamentarians requested the speaker to eject her for supposedly violating the house’s “dress code.” 

To complement her efforts towards ending Period Poverty, she launched a pad bank on 27th May 2023 prior to World Menstrual Hygiene Day. The event, dubbed “Glow na Glo,” brought different stakeholders together who are dedicated to ending period poverty and promoting menstrual hygiene. She has also indicated that she is drafting a sanitary towels provision bill to provide funding for sanitary pads for those who need them.

Hon. Orwoba’s actions made a strong statement to advocate for free pads for school girls and female prisoners. She took up the initiative to speak up for the 13-year-old girl who gave up her innocence for a one-month supply of pads; for the 16-year-old rural girl who had to wrap her sweater around her waist to hide the shame that comes with bleeding through your uniform; and for the pastoralist community girls that have to isolate during menstruation because it is considered a taboo.

As a young woman at the forefront of addressing Period Poverty, this was such a relief for me. Through the initiative I lead, Her Voice Matters, we have greatly invested our efforts in holding pad drives and Menstrual Health conversations to create awareness of the same. Having a Parliamentarian take up this initiative is a win for all champions who are advocating for this issue.

This act by the Parliamentarian encourages girls to withstand the stigma and embarrassment associated with the menstrual cycle should it happen in public places.  

Though Kenya scrapped taxes on period products in 2004, the current cost of living and inflation has seen the price of pads nearly doubling this year, putting the cost of menstrual products further out of reach. In an economy where the minimum wage is less than a dollar a day, many households must prioritize other basic needs over period products. More than half of women and girls in Kenya who cannot afford period products are forced to use other unsuitable paper, blankets, torn clothes, or even old mattresses to manage their menstrual blood. 

Kenya has seen extreme incidents of period shaming. Stigma pushes many girls to skip school when menstruating. In a country where resources are scarce and unevenly distributed, girls are still at a disadvantage, losing, on average, four school days every month—which translates to two weeks of learning each term. Over four years of high school, they lose, on average, 165 learning days.   

In 2011, the Ministry of Education launched a program to procure and distribute pads to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in public schools It is estimated that the Treasury has pumped Sh1.9 billion into the program and that it has benefited 11.2 million girls. Initially, they anticipated covering all needy girls and women in all counties. This has been hindered by the insufficient budget and corruption in distribution channels, and as a result, only a small percentage of girls were assisted through the program. We should all be at the forefront to call out for greater transparency and accountability regarding aid programs like this government initiative to distribute pads. 

This failure is contrary to the Menstrual Hygiene Management Strategy and Policy which envisages a transformed country where all women and girls have access to and knowledge of affordable and safe menstrual products, and period-friendly facilities that promote the full realization of human dignity. Also, this contradicts the Global Girls' Bill of Rights and specifically Bill 5 on Comprehensive Sexual Education and Access to Free, Quality Reproductive Healthcare which includes education that informs us about our rights, consent, contraception, and healthy relationships. 

To overcome corruption, the government should invest more funds in monitoring and surveillance to ensure that period products reach those who need them the most. Social empowerment for girls plays a central role in eradicating poverty and the well-being of our communities. Denial of adequate social protection leaves girls vulnerable to long-term poverty and the opportunity to further their education. 

Gladys Njeri is the Founder and Team Lead at Her Voice Matters Foundation KE, an initiative that focuses on mentorship of adolescent girls and young women by empowering them to speak out their thoughts and advocate for their rights and freedom. She is also a She’s the First Youth Ambassador and an aspiring Economist. A proud Menstrual Health Advocate, she lives by the mantra, “Her Voice is Powerful, Her Voice Matters!”.