What periods, climate crisis and taxes have in common
Periods, like taxes, come monthly and unfailingly and are met with a mixture of resignation and irritation. Yet, while taxes are grudgingly accepted as a civic duty, periods remain shrouded in stigma, and managing them depends on how deep your pockets go. As with the climate crisis, they both disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in our society—women and girls. The omnipresent climate crisis, with its unpredictable extreme weather patterns, is inextricably connected to how women and girls manage their menstrual hygiene in Kenya and further complicates the picture. When floods recently ravaged the country, women and girls sought refuge in shelters, often lacking adequate sanitation facilities. During droughts, the scarcity of water makes using reusable pads—a more sustainable and cost-effective option—a logistical nightmare. As a result, the ability to manage menstruation with dignity is severely compromised. It seems as though nature conspires to cripple efforts to manage something that occurs naturally. The cost of sanitary towels is out of reach for millions of women and girls. I remember my own experience as a first-year university student. I often resorted to using pieces of cloth as makeshift pads because sanitary towels were a luxury I could hardly afford, especially after my student loan money ran out. It was a humiliating and uncomfortable situation, but there was no alternative that I could imagine. This indignity is a daily reality for many girls and women across Kenya. Desperate for sanitary pads, they might accept the advances of sexual predators, trading their dignity and safety for a modicum of menstrual hygiene. This vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation is fuelled by the high cost of menstrual products and the socioeconomic impacts of climate change. It’s a cruel irony that taxes, meant to support the nation, further deepen the chasm of inequality. In 2023, a lobby group called the Aids Healthcare Foundation called upon the government to zero-rate sanitary pads for schoolgirls to increase the supply and reduce the cost of purchasing the commodity. While it's commendable that sanitary pads are exempt from value-added tax and attract zero excise duty, the raw materials used in their manufacture attract a VAT of 16 per cent and excise duty of 25 per cent. This gives local manufacturers a raw deal. The theme for World Menstrual Hygiene Day, which was held on May 28, was #PeriodFriendlyWorld, and this can't be achieved if the status quo remains. Zero-rating sanitary towels would be a significant step towards ensuring menstrual equity. Nobody should have to choose between staying hungry and managing their periods.