The Kenya Menstrual Hygiene Management Policy (2019-2030) is a big win to the Kenyan menstruating population. The policy is a key milestone towards the achievement of healthy and hygienic menstruation with access to improved water sanitation and hygiene. It is a long-awaited and celebrated policy by all sexual and reproductive health and rights stakeholders.
The policy’s mission is to ensure that all women in Kenya can manage menstruation hygienically, freely, with dignity without stigma or taboos, and with access to the right information on MHM, menstrual products, services and facilities, and to dispose of menstrual waste safely.
Despite extensive and numerous legislations and policies including, the Constitution of Kenya 2010, Basic Education (Amendment) Act No. 17 of 2017, National Vision 2030, National Health Policy 2014-2030, Kenya Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene Policy 2016 – 2030, and the Kenya School Health Policy (2018), there is still a gap in adequate access to menstrual products, service and facilities, acquiring necessary information and education on menstruation, and safe disposal of menstrual waste.
What Underlying Policies And Legislations Couldn’t Achieve
Will the new Menstrual Hygiene Management Policy (2019-2030) safeguard menstruators right to the highest attainable standard of health? Will it include the right to health care services, including reproductive health care? Earlier policies have made little to no impact in solving several challenges menstruators face in Kenya, such as poor sanitation facilities, unaffordable sanitary products, limited comprehensive sexuality education, and myths and taboos against periods.
According to the Ministry of Education, Kenya 2011, 2967440 girls menstruate in schools per month and approximately 9495680 to 13056560 kgs of menstrual waste is generated every academic year. This load of rubbish finds its way into pit latrines leading to faster filling up, and blockage as the majority of public schools use pit latrines for disposal of menstrual waste.
In Kenya, 65% of menstruators are unable to afford sanitary pads. The situation is so devastating that, Dr Penelope’s 2015 study of 3000 Kenyan women finds that 1 in 10 15-year-old girls was engaging in sexual activities to get money to pay for sanitary products. “When people earn less than two bucks a day, is a family going to buy bread, milk and food or girl’s sanitary pads?” says Angela Lagat, chief brand marketing officer at ZanaAfrica.
Poverty affects menstruators ability to afford sanitary products; it further endangers their health when they engage in sexual activities to get sanitary ware. There is a need to empower all menstruators and achieve gender equality to end disparities hindering menstruators having healthy and safe periods.
The Needed Changes
The policy leaves out a critical component that is comprehensive sexuality education as a priority action to ensure that myths, taboos and stigma around menstruation are addressed by providing women, girls, men and boys access to information on menstruation (Policy Objective 2).
There is a need for age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education for menstruators to tackle all aspects of health and give them a better understanding of their sexuality. The schooling needs to sustained and continued to better tackle myths and taboos around menstruation.
The menstrual hygiene management policy leaves out the aspect of transgender people as one of the menstruators, therefore not gender-inclusive. The term ‘women and girls’ used throughout the policy should be substituted with ‘menstruators’ for inclusivity. Menstruation is a human right, and all menstruators have right to non-discrimination and gender equality, and all barriers against healthy, safe and affordable menstruation should be removed.
Menstruators don’t need paperwork in the form of menstrual hygiene management policy but are waiting for the plan to be implemented. A multi-sectoral approach and collaboration of all stakeholders will enable the successful implementation of this policy. Strengthening the leadership, institutional and human resource capacity of various stakeholders in the menstrual hygiene management sector to promote sustainable MHM interventions effectively is vital and commendable.
Okoth Paul Okoth is the Kenyan Regional Ambassador to Tunza Eco-generation. He is part of the current batch of the #PeriodParGyan Writer’s Training Program and an intern with Youth Cafe. Find him on LinkedIn and Twitter