Nguvu Collective’s report ‘Echoing Voices from the Grassroots on Dignified Period for All’ raises serious concerns about period poverty gaps, especially in rural communities
By: Rachel D’souza
In 2025, one of Kenya’s fundamental challenges is to build a progressive, gender-equal society while addressing issues like persistent period poverty, child marriage, and femicide. Experts say that while the nation has adequate policies and frameworks in place, grassroots implementation leaves much to be desired.
Something as basic as access to menstrual literacy is missing in counties like Siaya despite the presence of a Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Policy. Activists hope that the theme of Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025 (Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld) will inspire policymakers to bridge gaps in implementing menstrual hygiene policies, particularly in rural communities.
While attempts are being made to ensure that menstruation does not limit access to education, healthcare, or opportunity, there is an urgent need to break cultural taboos and promote better menstrual health practices through concrete action. This was illuminated in a recent study titled ‘Echoing Voices from the Grassroots on Dignified Period for All,’ released by the feminist organisation Nguvu Collective. It drew insights from nearly 10,000 girls and women across 45 Counties in Kenya to reveal how period poverty continues to deny them dignity, disrupt their education, compromise safety, and limit their choices. Nguvu Change leaders in Kenya are amplifying the findings of the report with powerful campaigns at the grassroots level.
“In 2017, Kenya introduced a program under the Basic Education Amendment Act to provide sanitary pads to schoolgirls, aiming to reduce absenteeism. Although funding increased from KES 30 million to KES 960 million over the years, the distribution remains deeply flawed, with the nationwide survey revealing that only 23% of recipients found the supply adequate, while the majority either received too little or none at all,” says Nguvu change leader Amina Guyo of Isiolo County, the lead architect of the report.
Through her online campaign, Amina calls upon the Ministry of Gender to be transparent in how sanitary pads are distributed through the free school distribution programme, to ensure that the girls receive the support they need during their menstrual cycles.
Change Leader Frida Karani from Embu County, a menstrual hygiene activist, through another online campaign, urges the Chairperson of the Women Representative Caucus to direct concerned authorities to use the allocated budget to establish accessible pad banks across all 47 counties of Kenya. Frida, who was part of the team behind the report, reiterates the need to strengthen partnerships, promote collaboration, and encourage knowledge sharing on best practices, innovations, and evidence-based solutions to achieve menstrual equity.
Another Change Leader, Harriet Afandi from Vihiga County, drawing on her personal experience with period poverty, is leading a campaign to prioritise menstrual equity across Kenya’s 47 counties. She is urging local governments to integrate menstrual health into budgets, policies, and public service delivery.
Another influential voice is that of Change Leader Veronica Judith Mwende, a public health advocate from Makueni who uses Menstrual Hygiene Day to highlight a closely linked issue. Through her campaign, she is calling for policies that require technical institutions to admit and support teen mothers, many of whom are excluded from the education system due to stigma and a lack of care.
Referring to the Nguvu survey report, she points out that many respondents reported facing or being at risk of sexual harassment, exploitation, or abuse due to limited access to menstrual products. “It’s time to act and build a more inclusive society where teenage parenthood, period poverty, and gender disparities no longer deny women their right to live safely with their dignity intact,” she concludes.
