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We have all seen the conversations on Twitter with the hashtag #MyAlwaysExperience that has been since February where women complained about the quality of the pads that Proctor and Gamble (P&G), the manufacturers of Always pads, distributes in Kenya.

In case you did not know, there are different qualities of pads distributed around the world, and if you have used the Always brand in Europe or the US, you will discover that their pads are:

  • Breathable
  • The top sheet is made of a non-woven material that is soft to the skin
  • The glue sticks to the underwear
  • Has no scent

We expect a lot of companies to follow their brands online and see what the consumers are talking about, but nooo. Not P&G. The minute they realized consumers were not happy, they asked their PR agency to do a quick campaign to sanitize the situation.
Sometime last year, Always introduced a product in the market that did not match the price of most of their competitors. First of all, the product was affordable. It cost Ksh 50 for a packet of 8 pads. Such a bargain, right?
This move came just before Uhuru Kenyatta signed the sanitary pads bill worth Ksh 480M to provide free sanitary pads to school girls. This ‘affordable product’ produced in Egypt was dumped in all retail stores and in shops. No one has ever questioned its quality until now.
So fast forward past the complaints. What do the geniuses at Tell Em do? They organize a few female vloggers that they need to do a campaign to make the product look and sound posh. The team of 8 vloggers was taken to Fairmont , all treated to a spa day, make up and a great photoshoot while at the same time promote a shitty product.

The Always pad is pathetic. First of all, it does not stick to the panty. Well, you may think there is a way to go over that. As an adult, you can wear tights and you can sort that small issue until you need to change. Now imagine a school girl wearing a dress. A pad that does not hold to the panty will fold at the edged, make the girl uncomfortable and will eventually fall off. Imagine that.

The pad has a strong smell. Believe me, it is not the natural smell of the raw materials. It is chemicals that get into direct contact with your private parts. It smells even worse when in contact with blood. The pad is made of a nylon/plastic material. It burns. It causes rashes that take weeks to heal.

All these complaints were expressed by a Twitter thread by Scheaffer. Did P&G consider these? No! Why do companies like P&G think they can dump all the reject products to Kenya and think they can get away with it? Is anyone holding them accountable? Can we start by holding them accountable and remove these products from the shelves?

When a customer asked about the quality of their product in Kenya, their responses were unsatisfactory at best.

It also seems like the influencers they are using don’t know anything about the product.

US resident Uzoamaka Chaka reviewed the Kenyan Always sanitary pads vs the US ones. There is a huge difference in quality which begs the question why Kenyan women are getting a substandard product.

It starts with you and I. Share your Always experience with us and tell us what you feel needs to be done.