No girl or woman should feel bad for maturing and getting her monthly periods that are a sign of adolescence and maturity. Unfortunately, Kenya lost a girl. She committed suicide after her teacher, a woman, made fun of her blood-stained dress.
This incidence angered Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga, who is a mother of two, one being a girl. Senator Omanga spoke bitterly about the incident in Nakuru during the Inua Mama Nakuru Edition meeting at the Showground, saying she would not let the matter slide without her asking tough questions about the distribution of sanitary towels to girls in the country.
The 14-year-old girl was from Kabiangek Primary School in Konoin Constituency in Bomet County. The mother, Beatrice Chepkurui, said that day in the school was the first time the daughter was getting her periods and she did not have anything to use as a pad.
Ministry of Gender on the Spot Over Death
Senator Omanga said one way of making sure the incident does not happen again was sanitary towels in the country being given out by the Education ministry as it was done before, as the current arrangement, with the Gender Ministry being assigned the role was clearly failing.
“Let the Ministry of Education give out sanitary towels as before. As they give books, let them be accompanied by sanitary towels. The Ministry of Gender is failing because her top officials are involved in politics and changing the constitution instead of concentrating on their work,” said Sen. Omanga.
She was seemingly throwing a salvo at the Gender and Youth CAS Rachel Shebesh who is deeply involved in the affairs of the Embrace Kenya women group that supports the handshake and has been holding meetings in the country.
Sen. Omanga added that she would take the matter on the floor of the Senate since it was wrong for a young girl to commit suicide because of staining her dress.
She almost shed tears in her speech. The meeting was attended by hundreds of women from Nakuru County and her environs, including women leaders supporting the Inua Mama agenda for improving the lives of women and youth.
Elgeyo-Marakwet Women Representative Jane Chebaibai said it was unfortunate that the people mandated to oversee the issuance of sanitary towels at the ministry were women who understood everything a woman goes through during that time of the month.
