Kenya passed 2017 law to provide free sanitary towels for schoolgirls but not all schools have taken up policy

Hundreds of parents have mounted furious protests against a school after a girl killed herself for being shamed over having her period, it has been reported.

The 14-year-old Kenyan schoolgirl hanged herself at home after alleged being humiliated in front of her class.

Her mother said a teacher had called her 'dirty' for soiling her uniform and ordered her to leave the class in Kabiangek, west of the capital Nairobi.

'She had nothing to use as a pad. When the blood stained her clothes, she was told to leave the classroom and stand outside,' the mother was quoted as saying in Kenyan media.

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Hundreds of parents have mounted furious protests against a school after a girl killed herself for being shamed over having her period

She said her daughter came home and told her mother what had happened, but then when she went to fetch water she took her own life.

Around 200 parents staged a protest outside the school on Tuesday in reaction to the news, blocking a road and pulling down one of the school's gates.

Police used tear gas before making five arrests. The school has been closed since the protests, according to reports.

Regional police chief Alex Shikondi said the circumstances of the girl's death were being investigated.

The school's headteacher has declined to comment.

Police used tear gas before making five arrests. The school has been closed since the protests, according to reports. Regional police chief Alex Shikondi said the circumstances of the girl's death were being investigated

In 2017, Kenya passed a law stating that 'free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels' must be provided to every girl registered at school

In 2017, Kenya passed a law stating that 'free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels' must be provided to every girl registered at school.

However, as in several other countries, many girls cannot afford sanitary products such as pads and tampons.

A parliamentary committee is also investigating why the programme did not appear to have been rolled out at the school.

A UN report in 2014 said that one in 10 girls in sub-Saharan Africa missed school during their period.

Some girls reportedly lose 20 per cent of their education for this reason, making them more likely to drop out of school altogether, the report said.