Kenya groups file lawsuit against food giant Del Monte over assaults

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Dec 2023 23:31
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The legal action, filed after several murders took place, argues that Del Monte has been engaged in a protracted land ownership dispute with the local community, which claims the company's land as its ancestral home.

In this June 30, 2008 file photo, Del Monte brand products are seen on a grocery store shelf in Boston. (AP)

A rights group and community activists have initiated legal proceedings against the US multinational food giant, Del Monte, for alleged killings and assaults at its pineapple plantation near Nairobi, the lawsuit filed at the High Court in Kenya reads.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of individuals who allege attacks by Del Monte security guards and the relatives of the claimed victims. Del Monte, a company employing 6,000 people in Kenya, has previously faced accusations of abuse and violence.

The suspected murder of four men who were accused of trying to steal pineapples from the Del Monte farm near Thika, northeast of Nairobi, figures among the recent incidents under investigation.

A postmortem examination report has shown that the four men who were reportedly beaten by Del Monte guards in a pineapple farm in Thika died as a result of drowning. #NTVAtOne pic.twitter.com/2QJtXiOONn
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) December 30, 2023

The legal action argues that Del Monte has been engaged in a protracted land ownership dispute with the local community, which claims the company's land as its ancestral home. According to the lawsuit, tensions escalate as locals traverse the expansive 10,000-acre plantation, resulting in confrontations with Del Monte's security personnel.

Torture, beatings, rape and murder

The legal filing alleges that the company's security guards have committed serious acts of violence against trespassers, encompassing assault, beating, torture, maiming, rape, and murder. It contends that numerous killings have taken place at Del Monte's Kenyan pineapple farm, with individuals accused of theft being subjected to fatal beatings, drowning in dams, or disposal in the adjacent river.

Moreover, the legal action expresses environmental concerns related to Del Monte's activities, claiming that the company's wastewater includes "toxic pesticides" designated as hazardous by the World Health Organization.

📹 #US company #DelMonte is committing "pure massacre" of local people in #Kenya, James Mwangi Macharia, Executive Chairman of the African Center for Corrective and Preventive Action (ACCPA), told Sputnik Africa.#Africa #UnitedStates pic.twitter.com/aAhdHIWC3I
— Sputnik Africa (@sputnik_africa) December 28, 2023

Several individuals filing the lawsuit recounted diverse injuries suffered in distinct incidents involving Del Monte security guards over the past few years. The legal action identifies Del Monte's Kenya operation and top police and legal officials as respondents.

In pursuit of compensation and punitive damages, the lawsuit calls upon the High Court to declare that the actions of the respondents violate human rights, environmental laws, and constitutional provisions.

This legal initiative comes in the wake of a recent police investigation into the discovery of four bodies near the Del Monte plantation on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Post-mortem results revealed that at least three victims had drowned and displayed signs of injury.