Dignity in the Workplace: Nairobi’s Bold Step for Menstrual Health
Nairobi has spoken, and the message is clear: menstrual health is no longer a hidden struggle but a formal workplace right.
In a move that has sent ripples across Africa, Nairobi County in Kenya recently approved a policy granting female employees two days of paid menstrual leave every month. This decision allows women to manage their health without depleting their sick or annual leave, marking a historic recognition of dysmenorrhea, or severe period pain, as a legitimate workplace issue.
The policy arrives at a critical time for Kenya, where the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) landscape remains a battlefield of poverty and stigma. For many, a period is not just a biological cycle; it is a monthly financial crisis.
Data suggests that a staggering 65 per cent of Kenyan women and girls cannot afford basic sanitary products. In low-income areas like Nairobi’s Kawangware, shopkeepers often break open packets to sell pads individually because customers cannot afford a full pack. This “period poverty” forces one million school-age girls to miss roughly four days of school every month, which equates to nearly 11 per cent of their total learning time.
Beyond the financial burden, the struggles are deeply physical and cultural. Only 32 per cent of rural schools provide private spaces for girls to change, leaving many to use unhygienic alternatives like rags, blankets, or even pieces of a mattress. In the most desperate cases, research shows that one in ten 15-year-old girls has engaged in transactional sex just to buy pads. This environment of shame is what Nairobi’s new policy seeks to dismantle, yet the move has sparked a fierce debate over its long-term impact.
Some critics are concerned that the policy could have the reverse effect, making women look like they are “costlier” to hire in the already competitive marketplace. “This is the kind of progress that may actually end up perpetuating stereotyping,” critics argue, as it may impact the very women the policy is trying to protect in their future job prospects, because they are seen as less reliable. Supporters argue that this is an issue of truth and dignity because no one should have to repress an “overwhelming pain” to be seen as productive.
Meanwhile, as Nairobi implements its policy blueprint, the world is taking notice. The question is, will this spread to Kenya’s fellow African nations? Whether this policy enables the workforce to be more empathetic or merely serves as a gesture remains to be seen. For now, the issue in Kenya has brought the discussion from the realm of the forbidden to the forefront.
Source: Africa News