Photo: Cindy Shiner/allAfrica

The government plans to allocate Sh2.6 billion for sanitary towels in the next financial year.

Pupils of Mirera Primary School in Naivasha yesterday received a donation of food and sanitary towels from Administration Police officers. The plight of the pupils had been highlighted in the media a few weeks ago.

With over 3,600 pupils, and a majority from Karagita slums, the school has faced major challenges with girls dropping out due to lack of sanitary towels. But yesterday, it was jubilation as the students received the donation. The ceremony was attended by senior DO Michael Kioni.

Briefing the press, Naivasha AP boss Michael Njau said they were moved by the suffering of the children. He said that after the story was aired, the officers and their friends decided to contribute to help the pupils. "We were touched by the story especially on girls dropping out of school due to lack of sanitary towels. We decided to pull our resources together to keep the girls in school," he said.

School headmaster John Kinyanjui said the donation will help keep the girls in school. He called on the government to implement the sanitary towels project to enable the girls stay in school during their menstruation period. "Some of the girls who cannot afford the towels don't report to school during their menses and this affects their academic performance," he said.