The government of Makueni County has said that women are not allowed to fetch water from River Athi during their monthly periods.
This announcement was made by the County Minister for Trade and Tourism, Sonia Nzilani, during the funeral of a 17-year-old girl.
The minister explained that women are in danger when they go to the river for water while on their periods because crocodiles can be attracted to the smell of menstrual blood.
The young girl sadly lost her life in a crocodile attack while she was fetching water from the river. It is not known if she was on her period at that time.
Her death has raised worries in the area, where many families need to fetch water from River Athi each day.
While this new rule is meant to keep women safe from crocodiles, people are asking if it is based on good information and if there is real evidence to support what the minister said.
Some people believe that crocodiles are attracted to menstrual blood, but there is not much scientific proof of this.
It is known that many wild animals, like crocodiles, have very good senses of smell and may be drawn to the scent of blood.
However, there is no clear research showing that menstrual blood attracts crocodiles more than other types of blood.
Research from the Florida Museum shows that sharks can smell very well and can find their food from a long distance away. This means they can detect menstrual blood in the water, just like they can smell urine or other body fluids.
But there is no strong evidence that having a period increases the chance of shark bites.
Also, studies suggest that when a woman is swimming, the pressure of the water can stop menstrual blood from flowing, which decreases the chance of any blood getting into the water.
