Elsie Muhanda Addresses School Absenteeism Due to Lack of Menstrual Products

Elsie Muhanda, Kakamega County's Female Representative, has expressed deep concerns over the high number of female students in the county who miss school due to a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products.

Speaking at a ceremony held at Mukumu Girls' Primary School in the Shinyalu constituency, Muhanda addressed the critical issue while distributing sanitary pads to schools in Ikolomani and Shinyalu.

"Most girls do not get an opportunity to pursue their ambitions in schools due to lack of sanitary towels during their monthly menstrual period and they end up compromising themselves by allowing people to take advantage of them, ending up getting early pregnancies," she said.

During her speech, Muhanda praised the national government's commitment to ensuring that essential sanitary products reach students. She highlighted that this initiative is expected to significantly reduce the number of girls who miss school during their menstrual periods, currently estimated at 10%.

"About 10 percent of students miss school due to lack of sanitary towels. It is however encouraging to see the government's dedication to addressing this issue, by giving me an opportunity to get one million and forty thousand pads which will undoubtedly help reduce absenteeism among our female students," she stated.

Muhanda also issued a motivational challenge to the female students, urging them to prioritize their education.

"Our female students focus on our studies as your education will be vital for your future. To accomplish great things, you must dream and not only should you dream but act," she said.

In addition to her advocacy for menstrual health, Muhanda took the opportunity to condemn early pregnancy within her county urging parents to ensure that they take good care of their children and ensuring that they do not fall into temptations of opening up to people who will take advantage of them.

"I am calling upon all parents to ensure that they take care of their children especially the girls, with a lot of caution not posing an opportunity that will make the girls vulnerable to being misused and taken advantage of. Let us all stand firm to eradicate the issue of early pregnancies in our county," she said.

Kakamega County Commissioner Michael Mwangi, in the same spirit, demanded the immediate closure of clubs near schools in the Shinyalu area, warning of legal action to be taken against anyone who does otherwise. He stated that these clubs hinder students' education especially taking into consideration that Sigalagala National Polytechnic is in Shinyalu constituency and also undermine anti-drug efforts by the national government.

"I am demanding that all clubs near our institutions be closed as they are at the forefront in destroying the education of our children by enticing them to drug and substance abuse. We shall take action against those who will not take this directive seriously," he said.

Mwangi also urged parents to prioritize their children's education and emphasized the importance of planting trees in local institutions to enhance the country's forest cover.

"It is a directive that all children get compulsory education and I am therefore posing a challenge to all parents to ensure that any 6 year old and above goes to school. Following the directive of the president to planting 15 billion trees by 2032, I am urging each one of us to plant trees in the effort of greening our county and enhancing climate change mitigation," he added.