Three people working at a Kenyan food manufacturer have been arrested following the alleged forcible stripping of female employees to check who was on their period, local media report.

In a statement on its website Brown's Food Company said it was "saddened" and that the matter "does not reflect the procedures of the company as a whole".

The incident, which allegedly happened on 4 July, got public attention after Senator Gloria Orwoba called out the company on a Facebook post, for period shaming and sexual harassment.

According to the post, a senior official at Brown's is said to have found a sanitary towel in the wrong bin.

The official was then accused of assembling the department’s female employees and asking them to confess to the incident.

After attempts to get a confession were unsuccessful, the senior official is alleged to have asked the women to strip to show who was on their period, Senator Orwoba said in her post.

Brown's said it has suspended the accused "pending an investigation".