Kenyan women refuse to relent on their pressure on P&G for better sanitary pads

Kenyans are not relenting on their demand for better quality of sanitary pads from Always, a Proctor and Gamble (P&G) product. What started as an inconspicuous trend, #MyAlwaysExperience, now seems to have gain a lot more traction.

Disappointed Kenyan women have taken issue with the manner in which the company has handled their grievances after yesterday’s uproar. Always Kenya maintained that their products are good quality and are similar to those sold in other parts of the world and that “all our pads including the ones in Kenya are designed and developed in Europe and the US.”

An aggrieved user even went the extra mile and prompted other Always users abroad to share the quality of their pads so that a comparison could be made

Always Kenya have dug their heels in & said their product here is the same as other countries. People of the world could you please drop a pic of an opened Always pad if you have one, wrapper visible & state which country it is from. Kenyans, please share ours#MyAlwaysExperience

From the comparative images and videos, the quality of Always pads abroad, categorically in Europe and America, seem to be of better quality. Those who have used them say that they are comfortable, breathable, absorbent and do not cause burns on the crotch. Not only was the quality different, netizens also found out that the African brand is more expensive with a pack of 7 retailing averagely at Sh.80 and Sh.300 in Kenya and Ethiopia respectively while, in Germany, according to one user, a packet of 26 pads costs 2.39 Euros (approx. Sh270.)

The issue seems to cut across Eastern African countries with users from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda also sharing their complaints of having to deal with allergies, infections and chaffing

We have similar experiences in Tanzania. My friends from a young age would complain of the chaffing, allergies, infections, sales on expired products and differences with other markets. When new competitors came along they shifted quickly. We don't even have a local office...

yes, this has absolutely been my experience with always pads in rwanda, and i'm sure other rwandan women can attest to this.@rwandastandards needs to get them off the market. we deserve better.#MyAlwaysExperience @RwandaHealth @RwandaGender @RwandaWomen @DianeGashumba https://t.co/eoVVpQdjB2

The Ethiopian case is even more serious. Very thin and clearly made from plastic. Not suitable even for normal flow. To make it worse, a packet with 7 pads goes for approximately kes. 300

Through the #MyAlwaysExperience thread, Kenyans complained of rashes, plastic covering used making the pads unbreathable, scented pads being smelly after use and discomfort from the heat.