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"id": 34581,
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"speaker_name": "Ms. Karua",
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"legal_name": "Martha Wangari Karua",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion. I want to thank all colleagues who have supported, especially our male colleagues. Starting with the Mover, they are sons of women, husbands of women, brothers of women and fathers of daughters. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think that any father will have known when their daughter started menstruating, because money will be required to do that shopping. But, unfortunately, there are many households that cannot afford this basic necessity. In order for the country to be able to offer free compulsory education, then the basics have to be offered. I think that is why the Government is funding primary education. But we have not looked at the holistic package that should be offered. We are saying that an important component – the sanitary pads - has been left out. This is because the girls cannot go to school if they do not have these basic necessities during, at least, one week within the month. At the end of the year, the girls will have missed 12 weeks of education, which is basically three months. This is totally unacceptable. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have heard the yearly budget touted. That is an exaggerated budget. If the Government is buying sanitary pads for our daughters throughout the country, this is a big wholesale. The cost would be reduced and the Government would negotiate. I am glad that the Mover of this Motion is referring to statistics of research done. This is because whenever we want to do something, we need the information. There is data indicating that 2.7 million girls are missing three months of school every year because of not being able to afford sanitary pads. I commend those who have done the research and Eng. Gumbo for bringing this matter to light. Days are gone when things to do with women were only brought by women Members. We have Eng. Gumbo with this Motion and previously, we had hon. Kapondi with the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Bill. This is really commendable because it shows that we have a partnership of the genders to push forward matters that affect our society. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to remind the hon. Members that we had a milk programme which was known as the Nyayo milk. The theory behind the milk programme was that most children are unable to get sufficient nutrition and, therefore, the Government was boosting the nutritional intake of children on a daily basis. The sanitary programme should be no different. It is very much also like the school feeding programme, where we realize that in order for children to have the benefit of free education, they require to have something in their stomachs. In order for the girls to be in class when they are going through their menstrual circle, they need to have those sanitary pads. I am glad that I am talking after Dr. Machage who has highlighted the medical angle. If we refuse to bear the cost of the sanitary pads now, as a nation, we will still bear the cost of the diseases that arise, including infertility which will then be treated at Government hospitals. Why do we not take this cost now and give our girls dignity, because when they are unable to look after themselves during the menstrual circle, we are actually making them go through degrading and inhuman conditions? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was looking at Article 53 of the Constitution about children. When we talk about primary and secondary girls, these are girls below 18 years and so, we are talking about our children. Article 53(1) (d) says that every child has a right to be protected from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices, all forms of violence, inhuman treatment and any other. So, if we let our girls go without sanitary pads, we are actually subjecting them to inhuman treatment. The State has the utmost duty to protect rights and also to carry through its policy. We have free primary education and it cannot be available without these basic necessities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I, once again, want to commend the Mover and colleagues for the total support of this Motion. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}