Bernadette Wavinya a women's rights activist in Machakos says that although the government has been giving schools sanitary pads for the girls, they have not been enough as many girls have missed out.
She says that although the reusable ones have come to fill in the gaps, the downside is when they are used by girls from drylands where water is scarce.
"This may increase cases of infections because the little water that is available may not be adequate to do a thorough cleaning of those pads, but at the same time those pads are better than the old rags from old clothes that have been used," she says.
According to Diana Njuguna, Head of Programmes at Akili Dada, the water shortage situation in many areas is one of the biggest hurdles in the successful use of reusable pads.
"I urge the government to try and provide water in such areas to help the girls during their menstrual period and to maintain hygiene," she says.
She explains that organisations that distribute menstrual hygiene products should also teach girls about menstrual hygiene during distribution.
Women and girls are advised to wash their hands before and after using their menstrual products, discard used disposable menstrual products properly, and change the sanitary pads every few hours as well as keep their genital area clean to promote menstrual hygiene.
Njuguna also says that there are plans to create a menstrual bank for sanitary towels in the country for sustainability, a point well backed by Wavinya who says that the national and county governments should partner and conduct home-wealth ranking to see which homes deserve to be given the sanitary pads.
"This is because if they are given to all, even those that can afford them will receive the pads, putting those from poor backgrounds at a disadvantage," she says.
She, therefore, urges the government to give a higher budget for sanitary pads, especially for those in dry areas.
This year's theme for menstrual health is making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030 to build a world where no one is held back because they menstruate.