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{
    "id": 475031,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/475031/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) S.W. Chege",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 884,
        "legal_name": "Sabina Wanjiru Chege",
        "slug": "sabina-wanjiru-chege"
    },
    "content": "tabling the Report from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on the districts that have benefitted in 2013/2014 and the ones that have had actual delivery. The Ministry officials indicated to us that the County Director of Education (CDE) is the one who identifies the schools to benefit. The Ministry also coordinates with field officers, the CDEs, the DEOs and the identified supplier. They are responsible for the distribution of the sanitary towels. Once the tender goes out and a person wins the tender, they are supposed to supply the sanitary towels to the specific schools and do the training on usage of those sanitary towels. That is the criteria we have been briefed about by the Ministry. We, however, will be happy to do a further inquiry on the same. The supplier is the one who is supposed to distribute the sanitary towels and also conduct the training. I will raise it with the Ministry that the teachers should also be in a position to assist those girls. My Committee visited Kigali, Rwanda and we learnt that most of the schools have a room where the girls can rest. The sanitary towels are kept in that specific room so that the girls can access the sanitary towels whenever the need arises. With regard to the role of the women representatives in distribution, it is not yet very clear from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. However, I would like to support the idea that those are women who can volunteer to go to the ground and actually train the girls. Personally, I have no problem to train the girls in my county on how to use a sanitary towel. I also have no problem to go to the ground and do the Ministry’s work because what we need is the girls to access the sanitary towels. The idea of local production is very good. I know this can lower the cost. Perhaps, the number the Ministry is targeting can be higher if local production is done. So, this is one of the things that we are going to recommend to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. They need to think out of the box. I have seen clubs, for example, Rotary Club, give out cheaper sanitary towels. They are many in numbers and they include six panties. It is actually very cheap; it s actually around Kshs400,000 and a girl gets a supply for a whole year with six panties. There is also a leaflet containing instructions. I am very sure the Ministry can borrow from them. The Ministry should instead of doing business with the sanitary towels, look at how it can partner with the Rotary Club. With regard to marginalized areas and the needy girls to be catered for, I would urge Members to liaise with the CDEs because they are the ones that give those things to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. That answers hon. Wafula’s concern. Hon. Gitau raised the issue on policy. He wanted to know whether this matter is being wholly handled by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. It is the Ministry that has come up with the policy on how to do it. I agree that the procurement, medical quality, safety and so on are very important issues. There is also a big danger coming on because of the waste management. There are no incinerators in schools and the girls dump the sanitary towels in the pit latrines. I do not know whether Members know that the sanitary towels cannot decompose. So, the pit latrines are just getting full very fast and it is actually a very big environmental hazard and the Ministry needs to re- look at it. Those are some of the things as we do further inquiries that we are going to be liaising with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}