Kenya to investigate 'sex for work' exposed in BBC tea documentary

Kenya's parliament has ordered an enquiry into allegations of intersexual maltreatment connected beverage plantations revealed successful a BBC report.

Lawmaker Beatrice Kemei said she watched the study with "utter shock".

The BBC recovered much than 70 women had been abused by their managers astatine plantations operated by 2 British companies - Unilever and James Finlay.

The companies accidental they person suspended the 3 managers successful question and are shocked by the allegations.

The Fairtrade Foundation described the allegations arsenic "appalling", and said the probe - by BBC Africa Eye and BBC Panaroma - were "nothing little than a #MeToo infinitesimal for tea".

Ms Kemei, who serves arsenic pistillate typical for a tea-growing country successful Kericho county, said the study highlighted the "entrenched" intersexual harassment astatine "tea multinationals operating successful our country".

MP Beatrice Elachi said it was unfortunate that specified incidents were inactive taking place.

"Today is simply a precise hard time for maine arsenic a woman, person and national of Kenya. Today I've been reminded that slavery inactive exists successful this nation; I cannot explicate however a antheral has violated women successful beverage plantations for 30 years and thing has been done," she was quoted by section media arsenic saying.

Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei ordered a committee of MPs to implicit an probe into the allegations wrong 2 weeks.

In the BBC investigation, 1 pistillate said she had been infected with HIV by her supervisor, aft being pressured into having enactment with him.

Another pistillate said a divisional manager stopped her occupation until she agreed to person enactment with him.

"It is conscionable torture; helium wants to slumber with you, past you get a job," she said.

A BBC undercover reporter, who posed arsenic a jobseeker, was invited to a occupation interrogation by a recruiter for James Finlay & Co.

It turned retired to beryllium successful a edifice room, wherever she was pinned against a model and asked to undress by the recruiter, who has worked connected Finlay's plantations for much than 30 years, and had already been flagged arsenic a "predator" by a fig of women who spoke to the BBC.

"I'll springiness you immoderate money, past I'll springiness you a job. I person helped you, assistance me," helium said.

"We'll prevarication down, decorativeness and go. Then you travel and work."

Unilever faced akin allegations much than 10 years agone and launched a "zero tolerance" attack to intersexual harassment arsenic good arsenic a reporting strategy and different measures, but the BBC recovered grounds that allegations of intersexual harassment were not being acted on.

The BBC's Tom Odula spoke to women who worked connected beverage farms tally by some companies. A fig told him that due to the fact that enactment is truthful scarce, they are near with nary prime but to springiness successful to the intersexual demands of their bosses oregon look having nary income.

British supermarket concatenation Tesco said it takes the allegations "extremely seriously" and is successful "constant dialogue" with Finlay's to guarantee "robust measures" are taken.

In effect to the BBC investigation, Sainsbury's, different supermarket chain, said: "These horrific allegations person nary spot successful our proviso chain."

On Monday, it issued a revised, updated connection saying it volition "take robust enactment to safeguard workers" successful its "tea proviso chain."

Starbucks besides issued a connection connected Monday, saying it was "deeply concerned" and has taken "immediate action" to suspend purchasing from James Finlay & Co successful Kenya.

James Finlay & Co said it had suspended the manager, and had reported him to the police. It was investigating whether its Kenyan cognition has "an endemic contented with intersexual violence", the institution added.

Unilever said it was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the allegations. The institution sold its cognition successful Kenya portion the BBC was secretly filming.

The caller owner, Lipton Teas and Infusions, said it had suspended 2 managers, and had ordered a "full and autarkic investigation".