Tampon Shortage in Kenya

*For those who still don’t know what it is-> A tampon is a cotton like plug, that is inserted into the vagina in order to absorb blood during menstruation. So it’s basically like a pad, only that it is inserted into the body.

Tampons

If you are living in this country especially if you are a woman, then you’ve probably heard that there is a tampon shortage. If you don’t know, now you know. The news about the shortage began with a tweet from @scheafferoo and the news quickly spread from there. It was pretty obvious that there was a shortage if all the responses and tweets were anything to go by.

The news was quickly picked up by mainstream media, and by the next day it was on the news. In fact, I heard about this shortage on Citizen during their seven o’clock news. I quickly rushed to my phone and got on Twitter since I needed to know more, and because I could relate.

Last month had been especially terrible for me. I had gone from supermarket to supermarket looking for tampons with no success. Since I work long hours, a friend of mine had gone to search for them on my behalf. She told me I could find some at Tusky’s, but they weren’t the brand I had sent her so she hadn’t bought them. I didn’t care about the brand, so I went to buy them the next morning before I went to work. Boy was I in for a lot of disappointment.

First of all, the tampons and the pads were nowhere to be seen. I circled the whole supermarket twice until I finally decided to ask. Apparently, they were upstairs. How nice, they kept products used by more than half of their shoppers upstairs. I tried not to read too much into it, maybe they needed more space because they had a wider selection. Not even. The shelf space was tiny, and the selection small. I was even more disappointed when I found out that they only had Kotex in mini. You know, that small tampon the size of your pinky finger.

 I was frustrated and angry since I was now left with two days and only four tampons to save the day. I checked in chemists and even in cosmetic shops but there was nothing. Right now it all makes sense, but back then I thought that there was low demand and hence low supply. Mercifully, I finally found some at Nakumatt. It was a brand I had never used (Moon). They were the only ones I could get and they were cheap too. I bought the pack of eight (super) was at 80ksh which was fine.

However, it is a new month and I don’t want to go through that kind of hellish panic again which is why I decided to buy a menstrual cup. I finally gave in folks and bought a menstrual cup a few days ago. For those who don’t know what it is, a menstrual cup is a bell shaped cup usually made of silicon or rubber. It is used by inserting it into the vagina where it holds menstrual blood. When it comes to use, it is more like a tampon than a pad which helps when you first use it.

 The initial cost of buying one is expensive I must admit, but then you get to use it for 6+ years which is quite the bargain. You can get a good cup from an online shop for 300-1000ksh so do the math ladies, tampons are very expensive in Kenya.
There are also other benefits:
~They are reusable which means that they are good for the environment.
~There is a reduced risk of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) when using them.
~There is a longer duration of use. It can be used for 10-12 hours without emptying.

With that said, a lot of women use tampons in this country, and will continue to do so. That is why this shortage is unacceptable. I hope someone important is listening, and that action will be taken to solve this issue.

 Until then, please let’s stop the silly jokes and comments on social media. This is important and we need everyone to support Kenyan women at least this one time. For those who think that tampons are a luxury? Your ignorance is showing, do something about it.
M.