Security guards working at Kakuzi, a large farm North of Nairobi, have been accused of committing abuses between 2009 and January 2020. The allegations include that farm guards beat a man accused of stealing avocados to death, raped ten women and committed dozens of brutal attacks on people in nearby villages.
The parent company of Kakuzi , Camellia Plc, has paid €5.22 million to settle these claims of alleged human rights abuses perpetrated by the employees of its Kenyan agricultural operation.
The multinational also paid €2.61 million to settle similar allegations brought against its Malawian subsidiary, Eastern Produce Malawi (EPM), raising its total spend on the human rights row to 7.5 million.
The original claim, lodged in the High Court in London by British law firm Leigh Day, was for 79 alleged victims of human rights abuses. However, Camellia expanded the payout to include those who came forward after the initial lawsuit, including a man maimed by guards.
Farsnews.ir reports that, as part of the deal, Leigh Day has agreed not to bring or support any further claims against any part of the Camellia Group in connection with their operations in Kenya, “for a substantial period.” The multinational decided to settle to limit its exposure in the dispute.