In Transmara South, learning is supposed to be a ladder out of poverty. Instead, for many schoolgirls, it has become a daily struggle marked by shame, silence and impossible choices. In classrooms scattered across Chelchel and Olesoilal primary schools, basic menstrual hygiene needs remain unmet; a challenge that teachers say is quietly pushing some girls out of education altogether.
At Chelchel and Olesoilal, teenage girls are walking to class without underwear or sanitary towels. Teachers describe the situation as persistent and worsening during certain times of the month, with absenteeism rising and some learners eventually dropping out.
The pain behind the statistics is visible in everyday school life. Inside crowded classrooms at Chelchel, some girls sit withdrawn, avoiding attention whenever menstruation is discussed. Teachers say the anxiety is not only about discomfort, but about stigma. The fear of being laughed at or exposed in front of classmates.
“I feel so bad because some of them just suffer quietly,” said Mr Bett, a teacher at one of the schools. “At the moment, 10 girls in Grade Eight are out of school. We are worried they may never come back.”
For these girls, menstruation has become a recurring barrier to learning. Teachers say some miss two to five school days every month. Over time, these repeated absences create learning gaps that many never recover from, especially in upper primary where exams become more demanding.
A wider, documented problem
The situation in Transmara South reflects a broader challenge across parts of rural Kenya, where menstrual hygiene remains a significant but often underreported barrier to education.
According to the UN's education agency, one in 10 girls in sub-Saharan Africa misses school during their period. Research by development organisations including Usawa Agenda, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education has consistently shown that inadequate access to sanitary products, clean water and private sanitation facilities can contribute to repeated absenteeism among adolescent girls. Studies have also linked menstrual-related school absence to lower completion rates in upper primary and secondary school, particularly in low-income and pastoralist communities.
The Kenyan government began funding and distributing free sanitary towels to school-going girls in 2011. This initiative was later strengthened by the Basic Education (Amendment) Act of 2017, which legally mandates the provision of free, sufficient, and quality sanitary towels to every registered girl child in public basic education institutions. However, education stakeholders and auditors have previously raised concerns about inconsistent supply chains, delayed distribution, and unequal access, particularly in remote areas where logistics are difficult and schools are widely dispersed.
Teachers in Transmara South say those gaps are still visible on the ground. Some learners reportedly rely on improvised materials such as cloth pieces or tissue, which are often unsuitable for full school days. Educators say this increases discomfort, risk of infection, and above all, fear of embarrassment, a combination that drives absenteeism.
Poverty and the legacy of insecurity
Beyond menstrual hygiene, families in the area are still recovering from the economic shock of past violent clashes that displaced households and destroyed property.
In parts of Narok County, community conflicts over resources and land have historically led to cycles of displacement. Families affected often lose livestock, homes and sources of income, a long-term setback in largely pastoral and subsistence-based livelihoods.
“We are still afraid,” said Dorcas Gorgor, a parent in the region. “The clashes destroyed everything. Some homes were burnt. People lost property, animals and peace. Since then, life has never returned to normal.”
Another resident, Gideon, said the effects of displacement are still being felt in daily survival.
“When your home burns down, you start life from zero,” he said. “Right now, even food is difficult. So sanitary towels or underwear become things you cannot prioritise.”
Development experts note that in such settings, menstrual health is often pushed far down household priorities, not due to neglect, but due to competing survival needs such as food, shelter and school fees.
Schools under pressure
Teachers say schools are increasingly absorbing social and welfare pressures that extend beyond education. Mr Bett said staff often try to support vulnerable learners discreetly, but resources are limited.
“These are children we see every day,” he said. “When they miss school, we know it is not because they want to. But the school system is not equipped to meet all their needs.”
He added that repeated absenteeism among girls has a cumulative academic effect, particularly in upper primary where continuous assessment and national examinations determine progression to secondary school.
Education specialists warn that this pattern, repeated short-term absence linked to menstruation, can contribute to long-term dropout if no intervention breaks the cycle.
Dreams interrupted by absence
Despite the challenges, many pupils still express strong ambitions. Some want to become teachers, others nurses, doctors or journalists. But teachers say ambition alone is often not enough to counter the structural barriers they face.
Every missed lesson widens the gap between learners, making it harder for those affected to catch up academically and psychologically. In one classroom in Chelchel, a pupil quietly summed up the struggle. “I just want to stay in school,” she said.
A policy gap at ground level
Kenya’s education policy framework recognises menstrual hygiene as a factor in girls’ education, and national programmes have sought to improve access to sanitary products in public schools. However, education officials and researchers have repeatedly highlighted a disconnect between policy and implementation, especially in remote and underserved areas.
In places like Transmara South, teachers say that gap is not theoretical. It shows up in attendance registers, empty desks, and girls who eventually stop returning to school.
For Chelchel and Olesoilal schools, the issue is no longer just about learning outcomes. It is about whether adolescent girls can remain in school long enough for learning to even take place.
And for many, that decision is shaped not in policy documents, but in the daily reality of poverty, stigma, and the absence of something as basic as a sanitary pad.
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