Jackline Saleiyan OGW address during IWD2025 celebrations
In the wake of recent nationwide protests, a hidden crisis is unfolding in Kajiado County — one marked by rising gender-based violence (GBV), menstrual health breakdowns, and deepening trauma among women and girls.
Jackline Saleiyan, founder of A Pack A Month (APAM), a youth-led menstrual health initiative based in Ngong Hills, is sounding the alarm.
“We’re seeing a wave of trauma that’s invisible to the cameras,” says Saleiyan.
“We are working with survivors of rape, FGM, and intimate partner violence and some of them are as young as 12.”
While public attention has been on police brutality and economic disruption, grassroots responders like Saleiyan are confronting what she describes as a “hidden emergency,” the erosion of safety for girls and women.
During the protests, lifesaving medication such as PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) became unavailable in public health facilities.
“Government health centers had no supplies. Survivors were sent to buy it over the counter — if they could afford it at all. Some missed the 72-hour window,” she said.
In parallel, cases of FGM surged in remote areas where security was absent.
“Any time there’s national unrest, cutters strike. Families took advantage of the confusion to circumcise girls in secret. Some even crossed into Tanzania to avoid detection,” she added.
What began as an initiative to distribute sanitary pads has morphed into a multi-layered emergency response. APAM, which has distributed over 60,000 pads, is now delivering dignity kits and trauma care.
“Girls were bleeding without pads. Survivors of rape were in shock, and no one had clean panties or soap,” Saleiyan said. “Our dignity kits became more than a hygiene pack — they became a lifeline.”
She notes that contraceptives also disappeared from clinics, heightening the risk of HIV infection and unplanned pregnancies.
The emotional toll is severe.
“I am carrying the trauma of every survivor we counsel. We’re not trained therapists — just women helping other women through difficult times. And it’s breaking us slowly,” she said.
APAM is now urging the Ministry of Health, gender agencies, and county leadership to act urgently — providing trauma counseling, sanitary supplies, reproductive health commodities, and survivor support funding.
“What’s happening to women and girls during unrest is not just collateral damage. It’s a human rights violation,” Saleiyan said. “Until we integrate menstrual dignity and GBV protection into our emergency response systems, we are abandoning half the country.”
