Nairobi — Nominated Member of Parliament Umulkher Harun wants Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to state the tax exemption measures the government has imposed on sanitary pads.
In a question, filed during the Wednesday Morning National Assembly Sitting, Harun said Machogu should also tell the House what measures the government is putting in place to ensure equal and timely distribution of sanitary pads to all school-going girls.
She added; "What plans has the Ministry put in place to ensure efficient and sustainable ways of addressing the challenges experienced by young girls as a result of menstrual cycles?"
Statistics show that more than 4,000 cases of teenage pregnancies involving girls aged 10 to 19 years were recorded between January and May this year in the Coastal region, with Kilifi County leading with 3,376 cases followed by Mombasa with 941 cases.
Harun's request for a ministerial statement comes weeks after Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba was ejected from Senate proceedings because the Speaker cited her to be grossly disorderly for staging an apparent menstrual activism campaign.
Orwoba arrived in a white suit with red stains to advocate for the free distribution of sanitary pads to girls and women in prison.
A notice of motion regarding a law granting women access to free sanitary pads was scheduled to be tabled by Orwoba.
A group of MPs objected to her action, saying it was an inappropriate presentation, but Orwoba stood her ground, arguing that menstruation, if not well managed, may affect the social, economic, political, health, and education aspects of girls and women's lives.
"As we speak, over 65 percent of women and girls cannot access quality menstrual products in Kenya. Menstruation needs to be prioritized as a matter of health as it contributes to the country's development," she said.
In May, the 12th Parliament reduced the budgetary allocation for sanitary pads from Sh470 million to Sh260 million.
The price for sanitary pads has also increased from Sh5o to Sh70, making marginalized and underserved women and girls choose between sanitary pads and food.
