Price of a cuppa: Sexual abuse on Kenyan tea farms revealed

Sexual exploitation has been uncovered connected beverage farms that proviso immoderate of the UK's astir fashionable brands, including PG Tips, Lipton and Sainsbury's Red Label.

More than 70 women connected Kenyan beverage farms, owned for years by 2 British companies, told the BBC they had been sexually abused by their supervisors.

Secret filming showed section bosses, connected plantations owned by Unilever and James Finlay & Co, pressuring an undercover newsman for sex.

Three managers person present been suspended.

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 a associated probe for BBC Africa Eye and Panorama 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.

"I can't suffer my occupation due to the fact that I person kids," said 1 woman.

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.

One pistillate besides told the BBC that she had been infected with HIV by her supervisor, aft being pressured into having enactment with him.

To stitchery much grounds astir the allegations of intersexual maltreatment taking place, the BBC recruited undercover newsman Katy - not her existent sanction - to enactment connected the beverage plantations.

In 1 instance, Katy was invited to a occupation interrogation with a recruiter for James Finlay & Co called John Chebochok. The interrogation turned retired to beryllium successful a edifice room.

Mr Chebochok, who has worked connected Finlay's plantations for much than 30 years, archetypal arsenic an property manager and past arsenic the proprietor of a contracting company, had already been flagged arsenic a "predator" by a fig of women who spoke to the BBC's Tom Odula.

Katy was pinned against a model by Mr Chebochok and asked to interaction him and undress.

"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."

Katy made it wide she did not consent. Eventually helium gave up and a subordinate of the accumulation squad - stationed adjacent for her information - made a telephone telephone to springiness her an excuse to leave.

"I was truthful scared, and truthful shocked. It indispensable beryllium truly hard for the women who enactment nether Chebochok," said Katy.

James Finlay & Co said Mr Chebochok was instantly suspended aft the BBC contacted the company. The institution said it besides reported him to the constabulary and was present investigating whether its Kenyan cognition has "an endemic contented with intersexual violence".

Katy besides experienced intersexual harassment erstwhile undercover astatine a farm, which was astatine the clip tally by Unilever.

She was invited to an induction time wherever a divisional manager called Jeremiah Koskei gave a code to his caller recruits astir Unilever's zero-tolerance argumentation towards intersexual harassment.

However, helium past invited "Katy" to conscionable him successful a edifice barroom that evening and tried to unit her into having enactment with him - suggesting they went backmost to his compound together.

Katy aboriginal said: "If my full beingness truly was pegged connected this opportunity, I tin lone ideate however that brushwood would person unfolded."

Katy was assigned to the weeding squad - it is gruelling work, six days a week, and galore women inquire to beryllium moved.

The supervisor there, Samuel Yebei, asked her for enactment successful speech for lighter duties.

When Katy reported the behaviour to 1 of Unilever's intersexual harassment officers, she was told: "Stand by your principles. Don't springiness your assemblage successful speech for a job."

Despite pursuing up to find retired what enactment was being taken against her superiors, she received nary response.

Unilever says 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, says it has "immediately suspended the 2 managers", and ordered a "full and autarkic investigation".

Jeremiah Koskei did not respond to our petition for remark and Samuel Yebei denies the allegations against him.

James Finlay and Co supplies Kenyan beverage to Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets, arsenic good arsenic Starbucks.

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

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

Starbucks did not supply a statement.

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