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"id": 1556298,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556298/?format=api",
"text_counter": 240,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Menstrual Hygiene Policy, one requirement should be that any commercial entity with a physical address must provide toilet facilities. These facilities should ensure privacy for women and girls to menstruate with dignity. Furthermore, businesses should address the proper disposal of menstrual hygiene products. The policy should also address how organizations handle issues of period shaming. Recently, we witnessed a disturbing incident at a cheese factory where women were subjected to humiliation. They were forced to strip so the management could identify who was on their period, all because a used sanitary towel was disposed of in the wrong bin. If we had regulations in place to guide establishments on acceptable practices, clearly defining what is and is not permissible, such shameful and unfortunate events would not occur. Mr. Temporary Speaker, some of these issues go unreported. If you were to look into my inbox, the number of complaints from workers at the Export Processing Zones (EPZ) is crazy. There are rogue institutions that do not care about women menstruating with dignity. I was truly shocked to realize that even here in Parliament, as I stand advocating for this Bill, we fail to provide sanitary towels in our toilets. We enjoy abundant luxuries, such as water on the table, gym facilities and other amenities. Yet, how difficult would it be for us to simply provide sanitary towels? As leaders, we should set an example and demonstrate how things ought to be done. Mr. Temporary Speaker, as I reply, I wish to acknowledge those who contributed yesterday, particularly Sen. Karen Nyamu, who highlighted the importance of shelf life in promoting local manufacturers. During the Generation Z movement, I got the heat for advocating for local manufacturers. I recall shouting at the top of my lungs through my social media platforms, asking the public: should I, as a legislator, fight for those importing sanitary towels or should I champion policies that support local manufacturing industries to create jobs? Period poverty is deeply rooted in poverty itself. Poverty is the true enemy. Whenever someone reaches out to me, I always emphasize that addressing poverty is the key to solving many of these issues. If we can tackle poverty, most of these challenges will disappear. However, how can we deal with poverty when we are constantly promoting hashtags that support products manufactured in China, products whose quality we cannot even track? Every day, there is a new hashtag promoting this or that. Throughout this period, I have consistently advocated for supporting local manufacturers. I am proud to say that throughout this journey, I have walked with several local manufacturers who truly understand the challenges of employing Kenyans to produce and manufacture sanitary towels. Among them is SAI Industries, which produces a pad called Fimela. Whenever my fellow legislators request pads for distribution, I reach out to them, fully aware of the weight they have. The competition between local manufacturers and importers of substandard products, particularly from countries like China, is crazy. For instance, sanitary pads are imported at a cost of Kshs7 per packet, only to be sold on shelves in Kshs80. A local manufacturer spends between Kshs22 and 27 to produce one packet of sanitary towels yet, they are forced to compete with importers who bring in packets at just Kshs8 and sell them at Kshs80 on the shelf. I cannot, under any circumstances, not for votes, nor for public approval, stand anywhere in support of the importation of sanitary towels. My Bill takes a holistic approach to addressing period poverty. It focuses on advocacy to end stigma and ensure that our girls are sensitized on menstrual hygiene. It also emphasizes the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services, Senate."
}