Author: Michelle Abraham
Three managers at a cheese factory in Kenya have been arrested after they allegedly made female staff undress so they could check who was on their period.
The incident occurred after the unnamed managers apparently discovered a used sanitary towel was placed in the wrong bin.
The news broke after Kenyan Senator Gloria Orwoba posted a video on social media on Wednesday in which she revealed she received “some distress calls” about the incident.
It is unfortunate that the matter at Brownscheese Company in Limuru has escalated despite this morning's intervention through my office.
— Gloria Orwoba (@gloria_orwoba) July 5, 2023
All institutions should purpose to implement the MHM Policy in Kenya for the good of all stakeholders. pic.twitter.com/lambReYfR7
Orwoba further shared that when the manager first asked who the towel belonged to nobody replied, and so they ordered them to strip so that the person responsible could be “punished.”
After receiving the calls, Orwoba contacted the company about the distressing occurrence.
The employer, Brown’s Food Co, has now dismissed the staff at its factory in Limuru, and is investigating how the situation came about. Furthermore, state broadcaster KBC reported that Sub-County Police Commander, Philip Mwania, said that the unnamed individuals had been arrested and would be arraigned in court once investigations were complete.
In a statement posted to its website, the corporation said: “As a result of the shocking incident at the company we have begun internal investigations to assess exactly what happened, why, and how we can adequately reconcile with the employees who were affected by this distressing unilateral decision of the managers that were on site on the day of the incident. They were immediately suspended.”
It recognized that the “public is holding us accountable” and said that it was “directly engaging with Senator Gloria Orwoba – who is known to champion Menstrual Hygiene Management as well as ending period shaming and period poverty in Kenya – to learn from her how best to implement a Menstrual Hygiene Management policy.”
The statement concluded: “We have been listening and we know we must do better.”
In a Twitter post a day earlier, Brown’s described itself as a “women-led business” which “works hard to provide a working environment that is safe for all employees. It said: “We have apologized to the women involved and would like to apologize to the wider public as well.”