A week after managers and supervisors in two global tea companies, James Finlay and Ekaterra (formerly Unilever), were exposed for preying on female employees and job seekers,the victims have yet to come forward and give police statements.
Additionally, the managers have not received an invitation to appear before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) regarding the incident.
After being suspended by the corporations, the four managers named in the 49-minute BBC Africa Eye documentary that aired on February 20 have since disappeared.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has since advised the DCI to investigate the issue.
“This matter is being handled by the CID, but none of the victims have come forward so far to record statements which would be used against the suspects in the course of the investigations, arrests and prosecution,” a Kericho County senior police officer said.
He said that an inquiry into the allegations of sexual exploitation of 70 women who testified about the abuse they suffered at the hands of their managers and supervisors at the tea companies has begun.
Most of the tea estate employees claimed that they had not been questioned by the authorities.
“We are not aware of any statements that have been taken from the victims or colleagues,” a worker at Ekaterra company said, a statement echoed by others at James Finlay.
Sexual exploitation and human rights abuses have for decades thrived in the tea industry with women workers being the greatest victims.
