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{
    "id": 1555496,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555496/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 356,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "This Bill makes proposals contrary to what has been happening, which is bouncing off the finances from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage. I understand that this is not a popular Bill among the Members of the National Assembly, particularly the women. Recently, there have been challenges in procurement and distribution of sanitary towels from the mother ministry, the Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage. I am aware that there have been conversations to move that fund to the women representatives’ kitty so they can procure and distribute. I want to be honest with Kenyans that I anticipate the National Assembly might reject this Bill. However, they should understand that it is not because it opposes providing sanitary towels to vulnerable girls, but due to competing interests over management of the Fund. I urge the women representatives to set aside personal interests and look at the bigger picture of devolving this mandate to county committees. Devolution will enable grassroots engagement and better address the specific menstrual hygiene needs of each region. This Bill proposes that the Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage oversee the procurement, monitoring, evaluation and distribution of sanitary towels through grassroots champions of period equity. It is time we moved beyond centralizing decisions in Nairobi and engaged grassroots communities in determining their preferences. For instance, some counties might prefer reusable pads over disposable ones. I needed to clarify that. Additionally, in Part II on the administration and provision of sanitary towels, my Bill proposes that there is established an inter-ministerial committee on provision of sanitary towels. People have questioned the necessity of so many committees. In the past, when funds were domiciled in the Ministry of Education, the framework for executing the provision and distribution of free sanitary towels was left entirely to the officials within that Ministry. Let me provide an example: When the Ministry of Education managed this Fund, a desk officer, who had no knowledge about period poverty, no statistics on vulnerable schools, and no expertise in menstrual equity, was responsible for decision-making. This desk officer would review the database of schools in their region and based on arbitrary factors such as personal connections with Members of Parliament (MP), decide which schools received sanitary pads that year. There was no thought process or expertise involved. The Government funding for sanitary pads ranged from Kshs265 million to sometimes Kshs400 million, but a desk officer would make decisions on the beneficiaries. Without proper monitoring and evaluation, we have failed to have the desired impact although we have been pumping money into this initiative. The establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the provision of sanitary towels aims at ensuring that stakeholders managing these funds make informed decisions that align with the menstrual hygiene management policy in Kenya. The ultimate beneficiaries must be vulnerable girls and women. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to inform this House and public on the committee. The committee shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and shall, in its corporate name, be capable of- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}