For many girls, using a sanitary pad is a routine part of
life.
But for 13-year-old “Somoe Abdullahi” (not her real name)
from Marsabit county, it remains a luxury she can only dream of.
Unable to afford sanitary towels, Somoe cuts pieces from an
old blanket and uses them during her monthly periods. While the makeshift
solution helps contain the flow, it does little to ease her anxiety.
Every month, she lives in fear of staining her school
uniform.
“When I am on my period during school days, I stay at home,”
she says. “I don’t want to embarrass myself.”
Her fear stems from experience. After once staining her
skirt at school, classmates ridiculed her relentlessly. Since then, she has chosen
to miss classes whenever she menstruates.
Somoe considers herself fortunate. Some of her peers, she
says, use pieces of old mattresses as sanitary pads.
Hundreds of kilometres away in Kisumu county, “Sally Atieno”
(not her real name) shares a similar story.
An orphan living with her aunt, Atieno began menstruating at
the age of 10. Though she had some basic knowledge about periods, she felt too
young and too embarrassed to ask for help.
Accessing sanitary towels seemed impossible.
For two years, Atieno collected discarded pieces of mattress
foam, washed them and used them as pads, placing them between two pairs of
underwear.
One day, a classmate noticed the foam she carried and
innocently asked why she always brought pieces of mattress to school to clean
the blackboard.
“I just smiled,” Atieno recalls. “I had nothing to say.”
Behind that smile was the shame of a young girl struggling
with a natural biological process without the basic products needed to manage
it.
For girls and women living with visual impairment, the
challenges are even greater.
Angeline Akai says wearing a sanitary pad independently was
once difficult because she could not easily differentiate textures or determine
the correct positioning.
As a result, she had to rely on friends for assistance,
sacrificing her privacy in the process.
“If menstrual health awareness programmes were more
inclusive, many visually impaired girls and women would manage their periods
independently,” she says.
Akai says accessible menstrual health education would reduce
dependence on sighted guides and help restore dignity to visually impaired
women and girls.
For Arbe Godana from Marsabit county, menstruation came as a
complete surprise.
“No one told me about it at home,” she says.
She was in Form 1 when she experienced her first period.
Confused and unprepared, she did not know how to explain what was happening or
how to ask for money to buy sanitary towels.
Fortunately, a friend gave her cotton wool to manage the
situation.
Later, she used money meant for back-to-school shopping to
buy sanitary pads.
“I never told my family because they never asked,” she says.
But what troubled Arbe most was witnessing the struggles of
other girls.
Some used pieces of mattresses as sanitary pads. Others
isolated themselves indoors whenever they menstruated.
Among pastoralist communities, where families frequently
migrate in search of pasture and water, managing menstruation becomes even more
difficult.
For many older women, Arbe says, sanitary pads remain
unfamiliar. Some simply allow menstrual blood to flow freely because they have
never had access to menstrual products or information on menstrual hygiene.
“To them, it has become normal,” she explains.
These experiences pushed Arbe to take action.
Four years ago, she founded NUTOKUMA Community-Based
Organisation, whose name means “We Are One”.
Through the initiative, Arbe has supported more than 500
girls with sanitary pads and underwear, enabling them to remain in school during
their periods.
She believes awareness creation is just as important as the
distribution of sanitary products.
“Communities need to understand that menstruation is
normal,” she says.
Arbe argues that boys should also be included in menstrual
health education, as they are often responsible for teasing and stigmatising
girls who stain their clothes.
She further calls for expanded distribution of free sanitary
pads to girls from vulnerable households so that no child misses school because
of menstruation.
According to gynaecologist Dr Victor Wanjohi, menstrual
hygiene is not defined by the type of product a woman uses.
“It is a misconception that proper menstrual hygiene
requires specific menstrual products,” he says.
While cloth materials can be used safely, he stresses that
they must be thoroughly cleaned and dried before reuse.
Dr Wanjohi recommends changing sanitary products every four
to six hours and cautions against excessive washing or douching during
menstruation, noting that this may disrupt the natural balance of bacteria and
increase the risk of infections.
He also emphasises the importance of understanding the
menstrual cycle.
A normal period, he says, lasts between two and seven days,
while the menstrual cycle typically ranges from 21 to 35 days.
“Periods should not be a taboo topic,” he says. “The more we
normalise conversations around menstruation, the easier it becomes for women
and girls to seek support and manage their health with confidence.”
He also warns manufacturers against the use of harmful
chemicals in menstrual products, saying prolonged exposure may be linked to
allergies, fertility complications and other health concerns.
According to Kilifi County Woman Representative Getrude
Mbeyu, duplication of efforts among organisations distributing sanitary towels
has contributed to uneven coverage.
She argues that while her office and the Ministry of Gender
focus on school-going girls, other partners should target girls who are out of
school to ensure no one is left behind.
Although Kenya introduced free sanitary pad programmes in
public schools, supply shortages and affordability challenges continue to
affect many girls.
It is estimated that more than one million Kenyan girls miss
between three and four school days every month due to lack of access to
sanitary products.
Poor sanitation facilities, inadequate water supply and
limited access to emergency menstrual products in schools further worsen the
situation.
Research by UNESCO indicates that one in every 10 girls in
Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during menstruation due to inadequate
menstrual products, poor sanitation facilities, stigma or lack of menstrual
health support.
For girls like Somoe and Atieno, menstruation is not just a
monthly biological process. It is a recurring struggle that determines whether
they attend school, participate confidently in public life or retreat into
silence and shame.
Until menstrual products become accessible, affordable and
stigma-free, thousands of girls will continue paying for their periods through
missed opportunities and interrupted education.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
Despite government initiatives, supply gaps, stigma and
poverty still force many girls to miss school or use unsafe alternatives,
affecting their learning and confidence. The situation is worse in marginalised
and pastoralist communities, where awareness and resources are limited. While
community-led interventions and advocacy are emerging, sustainable solutions
require stronger policy coordination, a consistent supply of free sanitary
products and inclusive menstrual health education targeting both boys and girls
to eliminate stigma.