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Women Reps across the country have petitioned the government to accord them the function to distribute free sanitary towels to primary schools.

 At a meeting with Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu last week, the county MPs raised concerns that the current mode of distribution of the towels, in which the ministry has the sole mandate, is not effective, as it does not reach all girls.

 MPs Ann Muratha (Kiambu), Rebecca Tonkei (Narok), Jerusha Momanyi (Nyamira) and Kabondo Kasipul’s Eve Obara raised concern that since Covid-19 hit the country in 2020, the countrywide distribution of the towels had gone down.

 Lawmakers claimed that most girls have not been benefiting and thus end up missing classes

“The distribution of these sanitary towels has gone from bad to worse. Here in Kiambu we have not seen any of them. My request to you CS is please allow the office of the Woman Rep to distribute these towels to ensure all girls benefit from the initiative,” Muratha said.

 Tonkei and Momanyi also expressed concern that most young girls have not been going to school due to lack of the basic towels and thus told Machogu to move with speed and intervene.

 “We need urgent intervention on this. Sanitary towels are a basic need and we are asking you the CS to intervene,” Tonkei noted.

 Their request came after Machogu said that he had already written to National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u to provide the ministry with information on taxes and duties concerning sanitary pads.  Machogu said as of now the budgetary allocation for the towels in the 2020/23 Financial Year is Sh470 million which will support the procurement of 11.8 million packets for the 1.68 million girls in public primary schools.

 Further the CS explained that all schools should be able to distribute the towels to girls as they have also been provided with logistical support for distribution that also covers security during transportation.

 “Sanitary towels are distributed to girls at puberty stage in all public primary schools across the country. The towels are distributed based on the enrollment of girls in grades Six, Seven and Eight in each school as provided by the County Directors of Education in all the 47 counties,” the CS noted.

 He continued: “After the procuring is done, sanitary towels are distributed between the months of February and March every year, with 9 packets provided each of the nine learning months.”