Three people have been arrested after workers at a Kenyan cheese factory were allegedly forced to strip naked to check who was menstruating.
A Brown’s Food Company official rounded up female workers to find out who threw a used sanitary napkin in the wrong trash can, an official said.
She forced women to strip after attempts to extract confessions failed.
Brown’s says it has suspended the accused manager pending an investigation.
Three people were facing indecent assault charges over the incident, Limuru police told local media.
In a video posted on Facebook, Senator Gloria Orwoba said she received a “distress call” regarding what happened on Monday night.
“Apparently the QA manager had found a used sanitary napkin in one of the bins, and from what I understand that bin was not intended for disposal of sanitary napkins.”
The manager first called the women together to ask who was responsible, and when she got no response, she “needed to know who was menstruating so she could punish the person who threw the sanitary napkin away. in this trash can,” added Senator Orwoba, who campaigns against period shaming.
She said that despite her attempts to intervene in the issue, the company was unable to resolve the issue with its employees.
In a statement posted on its website, Brown’s Food Company said it was “saddened” and that the matter “does not reflect the company’s proceedings as a whole.”
“We are additionally hiring a women’s health expert to help educate staff, improve communication and strengthen our existing policies and procedures,” the statement said, adding that they are organizing an independent investigation.
Police told local media that officers “conducted a thorough investigation and took victim statements before arresting three suspects”.
They also said similar incidents had taken place at other businesses in the area.
“We have reliably understood that the degrading and shameful vice has been going on for a long time. I want to warn these employers that justice will soon be served for all their victims,” said local police chief Philip Mwania.
Campaigners say period shaming is a major problem in Kenya.
In February, Senator Orwoba was ordered out of parliament due to an apparent bloodstain on her pants.