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Up to Sh968 million set aside for the purchase of sanitary pads for school-going girls cannot be accounted for, Parliament was yesterday told.

MPs now want Cabinet Secretaries of Education and Health to explain how the millions were spent during the 2021/22 Financial Year.

During a heated debate where women MPs almost halted afternoon proceedings, Leader of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah and National Assembly Education Committee chair Julius Melly said the two CSs must explain how the money was spent.

“We need to be told how the Sh968 million set aside for procurement in the last Financial Year was spent,” Melly demanded.

A report by the Auditor General currently before the National Assembly shows the government spent Sh3.5 billion between 2011/12 to 2021/22 financial years under the programme, which has benefited 12.6 million girls countrywide.

However, according to Auditor Nancy Gathungu, the Ministry of Education issued only seven packets of sanitary towels to each girl enrolled in Class Six to Eight in public schools during the period under review.

Gathungu further revealed that this was way below the terms of a contract where the ministry was to issue nine packets of sanitary towels to each girl to cover the nine months they are in school.

 However, the ministry said it issued a “few” packets for the two financial years of 2019/20 up to 2021/22 because of budgetary constraints. During a recent meeting with MPs, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said the budgetary allocation for the towels in the 2022/23 Financial Year was Sh470 million which will support the procurement of 11.8 million packets for the 1.68 million girls in public primary schools.

“We cannot overstate the need to get sanitary towels to our young ladies in schools. And if possible, even to mothers in markets who cannot afford,” Ichung’wah noted. Nominated MP Umulkher Harun asked Machogu to state tax exemption measures the government has imposed on sanitary pads.

In a question before Parliament, 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.

Tax exemption

 “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?” she posed.

Nominated MP Irene Mayaka kicked off the debate, saying the girl child had been abandoned and that the programme was no longer working and called for the money to be allocated to Woman MPs to distribute.

“I’m actually worried that today I went to a public toilet and found that they actually have condoms for free. And yet we even have students crying about the lack of pads in their different institutions,” Mayaka said. At this juncture, the House broke into chants of “No pads, no Bunge as other female legislators joined Mayaka’s demand waving pads and chanting “pads!

Kajiado Woman Rep Leah Sainkaire said the issue of sanitary towels does not only affect girls but affects families wholesomely. “A girl missing school for three or four days every month simply because they cannot afford sanitary towels is not a small issue,” she stated.

“It is a national issue that we need to discuss as people’s representatives and look for a lasting solution,” Sainkaire noted.

Nominated MP Sabina Chege said her colleagues not only need sanitary pads to be purchased but also Women MPs to be given the responsibility to take sanitary towels to schools so that all the girls can benefit.

“We are able to trace and see which constituencies are not benefitting. We cannot afford to have our girls get teenage pregnancies, some of them to fail school because of sanitary towels,” Sabina said.

Temporary Speaker Martha Wangari directed that chairpersons of Health and Education committees and Majority Leader give a commitment on when and how the matter of distribution of the towels will be resolved.