Why majority of women, girls cannot afford sanitary towels

The price of sanitary towels remains high despite the government pledging to waive value added taxes to ease access.

 A mini survey by Rwanda Today shows that prices have remained high almost two years since the waiver was announced in December 2019.

The waiver followed a resolution by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in August 2013 that urged partner states to remove taxes on sanitary pads to make them affordable.

While the price was expected to reduce to approximately Rwf820 with the introduction of the waiver, Rwanda Today has learnt that market prices have remained unchanged at Rwf1000 while in some shops they are retailing at Rwf 1500.

 “I think the government's initiative to remove taxes was a good idea in order to help every Rwandan girl out there who cannot afford to buy pads to be able to have access to it for a brighter future with no menstruation stigmas, but prices on the markets remained the same or increased,” Sandrine Umutoni told Rwanda Today. Innocent Habumugisha, a retailer of the various products in Gasabo district noted that some of the prices on pads have dropped but while some wholesalers have increased the prices.

The prices on the imported pads have widely remained constant but the locally produced ones, which are the ones widely available on the markets, their prices have been increased by at least Rwf100 and Rwf200 since last year,” Mr Habumugisha noted.

However, prices have remained relatively high because local production has not picked up partly due to the pandemic which made it difficult to source raw materials. For instance, the pandemic has forced the only local manufacturer of hygiene paper products- SUPER, to cut down the production line, yet the demand remains high. And some businesses have started speculating on the prices.

Cassien Karangwa, the Domestic Trade Unit Director at the Ministry of Trade told Rwanda Today that Covid-19 restrictions have affected the production capacity of the factory as it has been forced to use few employees who work in shifts. However, he argued that not all prices have increased.

“Those made for the elderly people are the only ones that increased in price at the factory. “We have sent out an inspection team to monitor to find out where the problem is coming from, whether it’s the wholesalers or at the retailers’,” said Mr Karangwa.