Siaya County lawmaker, Christine Ombaka, has urged the National Government to increase funding for the National Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF).

Dr. Ombaka emphasized the need to expand the distribution of sanitary pads to include secondary school girls, citing it’s importance in boosting their self esteem.

Currently, the initiative only covers students in standard 5 to 8, excluding those in secondary schools.

“I want to emphasize that currently, the distribution of pads is limited to classes 5, 6, 7 and 8. The secondary school girls feel neglected as they are not included. this has hitherto forced me to utilize portion of NGAAF funds to provide pads to some secondary schools,” Dr. Ombaka stated.

She noted further, “We have not yet reached our goal. Both primary and secondary school girls should have access to sanitary pads. This will allow seamless school attendance. Many students come from humble backgrounds, and our support with pads aims to improve their school performance.

Siaya County NGAAF Coordinator, Nancy Okademi, affirmed their commitment to extending support to grade 9 girls in junior secondary and secondary schools nationwide.

“We distribute sanitary pads to all primary schools in Siaya County through funds provided by the Gender Department. Each of the 549 primary schools receives a pack of eight sanitary towels. Additionally, we have extended this support to a few secondary schools, although our current allocation primarily covers primary and junior secondary schools,” Okademi clarified.