Senator Gloria Orwoba erects ‘period shaming’ billboard in Nairobi
Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has erected a giant billboard in Nairobi as she steps up efforts to sensitize the public against period shaming.
Nairobi News spotted one of the billboards at the Muthurwa bus stage, along Jogoo road on February 20, 2023.
The politician’s message is seen on the billboard where she’s donning a white t-shirt, reading: “End period shaming. Anything you do, I can do bleeding.”
The controversial politician recently hit the headlines when she arrived at Parliament buildings in stained white pants.
She claimed the stains were blood after her monthly flow accidentally happened.
The move by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba elicited varied reactions from Kenyans, including her colleagues who debated the matter on the floor of the house.
Nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda sought Speaker Amason Kingi’s advice on Orwoba’s dress code which she referred to as ‘inappropriate’.
The Senator however defended herself saying: “I’m shocked someone can stand here and say the House has been disgraced because a woman has had her periods.”
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale chipped in, arguing the image was inappropriate and her colleague could have passed the same message in a different format.
“This just goes to show how Kenyans are suffering. A school-going girl recently killed herself because of the embarrassment of periods. In a country where free condoms are distributed, the government should give out free sanitary towels,”
Period poverty is defined as when one is unable to work or attend school because of lack of funds to purchase sanitary products.
Research by Menstrual Hygiene Day, a global advocacy platform for non-profit organizations and government agencies to promote menstrual health, shows that 65 percent of women and girls in Kenya are unable to afford sanitary pads.
The Kenyan government has struggled to keep its promise to provide free sanitary towels to the needy.
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