This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
On August 6, 2020, the education ministry announced a plan to address the critical challenge of access to sanitary towels for many young girls in Kenya, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang directed Directors of Education at the Sub-County level to work with Headteachers to continue issuing sanitary towels which have been lying uncollected in schools.
"The purpose of this letter is to authorize all Sub-County Directors and Head teachers to continue issuing sanitary towels to deserving girls even while at home," Kipsang said in a letter submitted before the National Assembly Committee on Education.
"The distribution should be done efficiently to ensure that the intended girls benefit from this programme and proper records are maintained as adherence to Ministry of Health protocols on COVID 19 is observed," Kipsang added.
According to Education CS George Magoha, the Ministry had taken measures to address concerns that school girls do not receive free sanitary towels despite the government allocating Sh470 million to improve access to education to many girls who could not afford sanitary products like pads and tampons.
"It is true that a majority of the students received their sanitary towels, but it is also true that some of the children have not yet received their sanitary towels," Magoha stated.
Magoha instructed the PS to get into the system quickly to empower the people who are holding the sanitary pads inside the system.
Since the programme's inception in June 2017, data from the Ministry of Gender shows that 3.7 million girls collectively received 14.8 million packets of sanitary towels costing Sh420.6 million last year.
The programme mandated the government to provide free, sanitary towels to every girl registered and enrolled in a public basic education institution and has reached puberty.
