Kenyan senator Gloria Orwoba on Tuesday went to parliament wearing ‘blood-red stained’ trousers, in what she described as a way to advocate for free distribution of sanitary towels to school girls.
Drama ensued in the Kenyan Senate as some of her colleagues disapproved of her gesture, arguing that she defied the dressing code of the August House.
They claimed that she was on her period and entered the plenary hall after staining her trousers. However, the stain was not of period blood, rather an artificial colouring that resembles it.
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The Senator wants to bring a motion that will see the Kenyan government providing free sanitary pads to girls, especially those in schools, who can't afford the basic items every menstrual cycle.
"I actually have a motion coming out tomorrow (today), that is going to end up as a bill. We are pushing to end the shadow pandemic which is actually period stigma, and period poverty.
"And, one of the things that I am advocating for and trying to legislate is to ensure that we give free sanitary towels to all school-going children, ... basically anyone who has started their periods,” Senator Orwoba said.
"We have had some serious cases on teenage pregnancies, girls dropping out; if you look at the statistics on how many days girls miss out in terms of the number of school days, it actually amounts to almost eight weeks,” she pointed out.
She said that women have periods every month, and it’s not a choice – and "even senators have periods” – but indicated it is not a shame.
She further said that while there has been a drive to distribute free condoms to people –as way to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases – not enough has been done to help girls have proper menstrual hygiene management by offering them free towels.
"I don’t think it’s too much to ask for girls to be given free sanitary towels, especially the girls in school, because sex is actually a choice, .... today I can decide to choose to have sex, but then I cannot decide not to have my periods, you know I don’t have the choice,” she said.
In her motion, Orwoba wants the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action to ease access to feminine hygiene products in all public schools.
Moreover, she wants the Ministry to ensure all schools that do not have bathrooms that facilitate privacy, cleanliness or proper disposal of hygiene products, get properly equipped.