In Kenya, 13% of girls missed school during their last period — Nation Kenya
According to Nation Kenya, in Kenya, 13% of girls aged 10 to 14 who had already started menstruating missed school during their last cycle. The study also indicates that pain was the most frequently cited reason for difficulties attending classes and taking part in other activities.
These data were obtained by the African Population and Health Research Center as part of the 2025 Kenya Young Adolescents Gender Norms Study. The nationally representative survey involved 4,230 adolescents aged 10–14.
Pain, water and privacy
Menstruation had already begun for about 31% of the surveyed girls. Of them, 26% reported missing classes during their last period or having difficulties participating in school, religious or social activities, as well as household chores.
When participants were asked about the reasons, 71% cited pain. Another 10% reported not having menstrual hygiene products at school. At the same time, 15% of all adolescents who had already started menstruating said they did not have enough pads during their last cycle.
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The problem is not limited to rural areas. A 2025 study in the Kibra area of Nairobi found that between 50% and 70% of schoolgirls did not have adequate access to hygiene products, while between 30% and 40% missed school due to inadequate conditions. The report also notes a lack of water, private places to change, toilets and disposal bins.
Coverage of the pad program
Kenya’s Basic Education Act requires the provision of free, sufficient and quality sanitary pads to female students in public basic education institutions who have reached puberty. The country’s Senate acknowledged that implementation of the program through the NGAAF fund and its limited funding contradict this requirement.
For 2026, the NGAAF budget is just under 912 million Kenyan shillings and provides pads for 2.6 million girls. At the same time, more than 10 million girls attend public basic education institutions in Kenya. According to Usawa Agenda, primary schools have an average of one toilet for every 47 girls, compared with the recommended ratio of one toilet for 25 female students. Only 28% of such schools have washing or changing rooms for girls.
Hygiene products alone are not enough
A study published in 2026 in Frontiers in Reproductive Health showed that providing disposable and reusable pads and menstrual cups to 300 secondary schoolgirls from five schools in Kilifi South significantly reduced menstruation-related absenteeism in all groups. However, fear of leaks, stigma and cultural taboos continued to affect attendance even when hygiene products were available.
