Ruto Shames Bosses Promising Women Dates, Sex In Exchange For Jobs

President William Ruto on Monday, March 6 lashed out at bosses notorious for harassing women by promising to take them out on dates, among other offers, in exchange for job opportunities.

Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony for 6,704 affordable housing units he was launching in Starehe Constituency, Nairobi County, Ruto condemned the harassment of women by their supervisors, especially those working in the informal sector.

Ruto affirmed that he would not tolerate women being exploited, especially in the construction sector, by managers fond of taking advantage of them in exchange for job offers.

President Ruto's response to the #SexForWork BBC expose pic.twitter.com/bmObajURL2 — Marvin Chege (@marvin_chege10) March 6, 2023

"As we have been told here, many women working at construction sites are being frustrated and tormented by their bosses. Some are promising them dates and other undisclosed things.

"These women have come to look for work, not to look for dates. If you are looking for a date, look for it elsewhere," he fired.

At the same time, the President demanded that developers who would work with the government should provide adequate social facilities to cater for women working on construction sites.

"You have also heard that women are being forced to share washrooms with men in construction sites. There must be enough toilets so that women have separate ablution facilities so that we can dignify women working in the construction sites," he added.

The Head of State tasked Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary (CS) Zacharia Njeru with facilitating the employment of more women in the construction industry.

Ruto's remarks were viewed to be a response to an explosive investigative documentary aired on BBC which uncovered shocking claims of widespread sexual abuse affecting tea farms in Kenya.

The expose which was published on YouTube on Monday, February 20 centred on farms that supply some of the most popular tea brands in the United Kingdom (UK), some of which have branches in the country, with a sexual exploitation clique of male bosses targeting female workers operating within the firms.

One of the companies, James Finlay, which operates in Kenya on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, moved to take action by firing two contractors who were exposed in the feature.

Four managers who were laid bare in the expose have since gone into hiding. Police officers investigating the matter revealed that witnesses and victims had not turned up to record statements.

"We have terminated our agreement with John Chebochok’s company Sislo Holdings. All 300 contractors who were working with us through Sislo have been offered direct employment to ensure their livelihoods are not affected – 98 per cent have accepted," noted the firm in a statement.

"We have also suspended John Asava. Both individuals have been barred from entering James Finlay Kenya."

On the same day, two Members of Parliament (MP) demanded more action to be taken against the perpetrators of the crimes enforced on female tea pickers under a variety of circumstances.

Kericho Women Representative Beatrice Kemei demanded the Committee on Labour to issue statements on several issues, including steps taken by the government to protect the rights of the female workers and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

Moreover, Kenyans under the hashtag #SexForWork, coined from the title of the piece, unearthed their narratives on social media regarding how they, or others they know of, have encountered sexual harassment within the workplace and during a job interview process, where one gets a job or even a gig in exchange for sex.