Kenya will today join the world in commemorating Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) with the Ministry of Health(MoH) reaffirming its commitment to improve menstrual health and hygiene across the country to ensure every woman and girl has access to the necessary resources and support for managing menstruation with dignity and safety.
The principal secretary for state department for public health and professional standards, Mary Muthoni, noted that the Menstrual Hygiene Day is commemorated to highlight the importance of proper menstrual practices geared towards attaining a period friendly nation which is in line with this year’s theme ‘making Kenya Period-friendly’.
“Since 2014, Kenya has commemorated Menstrual Hygiene Day with efforts geared towards providing accurate information on menstruation, ensuring access to affordable menstrual products, promoting sanitation facilities and implementing sustainable waste management practices in a bid to attain a period-friendly nation.” Said the PS.
According to research conducted by the MoH in 2016, 54 percent of Kenyan girl’s experience challenges in accessing menstrual Management Products (MHM) with 65percent still lacking sustainable access to safe menstrual products despite the ministry’s efforts of providing sanitary pads in schools.
This, the PS, says makes some to resort to unsafe methods or engage in transactional sex to acquire them.
Having launched the Menstrual Hygiene Management policy (MHM) on 28th May 2020, there are significant steps the ministry has undertaken in promoting a period-friendly nation through a three-way approach to menstrual hygiene which include breaking the silence, hygienic and safe management as well as safe reuse and disposal.
Additionally, the PS boasted of the achievements the ministry has achieved in providing accurate information on menstruation to dispel myths and taboos, ensuring affordable access to quality menstrual products and promote sanitation facilities which offer privacy and support as well as implementing sustainable menstrual waste management practices through the ministry’s ‘Epuka uchafu campaign’ aimed at improving overall hygiene and health standards.
She further acknowledged the crucial role played by health partners including USAID, Amref and Unicef in attaining a period-friendly nation calling upon organizations and implementers to support county-level implementation of the MHM policy in order to create a supportive environment for women and girls to manage menstruation with dignity and safety and not create a barrier to education, health and empowerment.
