James Finlays Kenya has suspended two contractors who were exposed sexually Harassing workers in a Kericho tea firm.
James Finlays which is a producer of tea for export in a statement issued on Monday, February 20 noted that it has terminated its agreement with John Chebochok’s company Sislo Holdings, and absorbed all the Sislo contractors to ensure their livelihoods are not affected by the termination.
This comes following the BBC expose which had a recorded video of John Chebochock and John Asava sexually harassing women at James Finlays Kenya in exchange for employment.
Moreover, in the expose, the women recounted how they were infected with HIV by the two individuals, as they had to give in to their demands to get employment at the tea firm.
“There is no place for behavior of this kind anywhere in our business. We believe that everyone should feel safe when they come to work at Finlays. That is why we have robust policies and procedures in place – such as comprehensive guidance to staff, detailed and continuous training programmes, an anonymous third-party whistleblowing hotline, as well as dedicated welfare and medical staff available on site – to prevent abuse of any kind,” Finlays noted in their statement.
Likewise, the tea producer said it has reported the issue to the Kenya police and began internal investigations to find out the truth about the expose.
Also Read: National Assembly Calls for Probe into Sexual Abuse Reports on Tea Plantations
“We reported the BBC allegations against John Chebochok and John Asava to the Kenyan Police. We will continue to work closely with the police, sharing any additional information that results from investigations. An independent investigation has been launched to fully understand what happened and where we can improve,” the further reads.
Furthermore, Finlays stated that its probe will examine the specific cases of exploitation brought up within the programme. Adding that they will see where to improve their approach to stopping and addressing any sexual violence, abuse, or harassment across the firm.
Nonetheless, the BBC expose brings to light sexual exploitation in the tea estates in Kericho, especially with the mechanization of the tea plucking activities.
Such callous acts have seen human labour cut massively, with some of the supervisors taking advantage of vulnerable female casual labourers.
