NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 11- The Murang’a based Kakuzi farm is set to pay a whopping Sh695,000,000 to 79 individuals, all victims of alleged human rights violations.
The cash will be paid to the 79 Kenyans who sued the management of the farm late 2020.
The 79 individuals were being represented by the law firm Leigh Day.
The violations according to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) include bad corporate governance; abominable labour injustices; wanton violence, including causing grievous bodily harm and killings; sexual and gender-based violence committed by its guards and gross, historical land injustices which have dispossessed more than 13 neighboring communities within Murang’a and the adjacent counties.
According to the United Kingdom based Evening Standard, the announcement was made on Thursday by Camellia, a British agriculture and engineering firm, with a majority stake in Kakuzi.
Kakuzi had supplied British supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Lidl with avocados until all three cut ties after news of the lawsuit emerged.
“In January 2020, Camellia Plc announced that it and certain UK subsidiary companies faced legal claims in the UK based on allegations against two businesses in its African operations, namely Kakuzi in Kenya and EPM in Malawi,” the firm said in a statement.
“These claims have now been resolved at settlements costing up to £4.6m in relation to the Kenyan claims, and £2.3m in relation to the Malawian claims. Details of the settlements reached can be found in appendices A and B to this announcement.”
Further, the firm said, “These are in addition to the previously announced legal and other costs associated with these allegations and will also be reflected in the 2020 results.”
The allegations, dating from 2009 to January 2020, The Times in the UK reported, they also include battering a 28-year-old man to death for allegedly stealing avocados, the rapes of 10 women, and attacks on villagers walking on paths through Kakuzi land.
Former employees of Kakuzi are among the claimants.
The company operates a 54 square mile plantation in Murang’a County, employing an estimated 3000 persons and is a major grower of avocados, macadamia nuts and pineapples.
It is listed with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE).
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