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Schoolgirls in public institutions will benefit from free and sufficient sanitary towels, if MPs pass the Sanitary Towels Bill 2023.

Some schoolgirls, especially in poor rural areas, miss school during their menstruation because their parents cannot afford the items or because the learners lack access to decent washrooms.

The bill sponsored by Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba seeks to establish an inter-ministerial committee that will be charged with the responsibility of providing quality, free and sufficient sanitary towels in public institutions for the girls.

And aware that some unscrupulous individuals or officials may try to rebrand and resell the pads, the bill imposes a heavy fine and imprisonment of up to five years for offenders.

“A person who rebrands or resells sanitary towels distributed by the committee commits an offence and is liable on conviction for a first offence to a fine not exceeding Sh3 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to both,” reads part of the bill.

For a second or subsequent offence, a person will be fined an amount not exceeding Sh5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both.

In her draft Bill, Orwoba proposes that Inter-Ministerial Committee on provision of Sanitary Towels will be composed of the chairperson and Principal Secretaries in charge of Gender, Basic Education, Correctional facilities, Higher Education, Vocational and Technical Training, Public Health and Attorney General.

The Inter-Ministerial committee will also have National Gender and Equality Commission Chairperson, Director General of Health and three other persons not being officers of whom one shall be nominated by Council of Governors (CoG), one by Public Benefit Organisations (PBO) and one nominated by an umbrella body of organisation in the private sector.

“The committee shall have powers to manage, control and administer the assets of the committee, receive any gifts, grants, donations or endowments made to the committee and approve the opening and closing of bank accounts of the Committee with the approval of the National Treasury,” reads part of the bill.