Beyond the Pad: Fred Ssenoga’s Mustard Seed Revolution to Defeat Period Poverty and Keep Uganda’s Girls in School

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that Fred Ssenoga, Chief Executive Officer of Union Transport Alliance, has launched Union Sanitary Pads under the Kili Clear Campaign, a social enterprise effort aimed at reducing period poverty among Ugandan schoolgirls. The campaign was presented in Kampala at the Uganda Media Centre, with Uganda Media Centre Executive Director Allan Kasujja presiding, and attended by transport sector representatives, women’s organisations, development partners, corporate actors and newly elected MPs.

According to the report, the initiative is positioning menstrual hygiene support as both a dignity issue and a development investment. Ssenoga said the project is focused on students so that menstruation does not interrupt education. The campaign named Daina Ampaire as its public face, with a role in promoting awareness among schools, communities, companies and partner organisations.

A key feature announced by Ssenoga is an affordability plan: schools and learners are to access Union Sanitary Pads at Shs20,000 per package, intended to cover a learner’s menstrual hygiene needs for a year. The report also says buyers can use mobile payment access by dialing *289*9#. Union Transport Alliance plans to use its transport network to distribute the products and says the campaign will target regions including Karamoja, West Nile, Acholi, Lango, Teso, Busoga, Bukedi, Bunyoro, Rwenzori, Kigezi, Central, Ankole, Sebei and Bugisu.

Watchdog Uganda places the launch in the wider context of menstrual health barriers that can affect girls’ attendance, confidence and participation in school. It cites UNICEF and UNESCO’s broader work on menstrual hygiene, and Uganda’s Education Statistical Abstract 2025, which puts secondary enrolment at 2,044,586 learners, with girls making up 51.6 percent.