Avocado supplier for British supermarkets accused of human rights abuses

Ten rapes and an attack which left a man fatally injured are among a string of harrowing allegations which form the case being brought against the British owner of a Kenyan farm

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An Avocado farm which supplies British supermarkets is at the centre of a major legal battle over alleged human rights abuses against employees and the wider community. 

The British owner of the Kakuzi farming estate in Kenya is being sued by 79 individuals who claim to have suffered brutality at the hands of its security guards.

Supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Lidl have avocados supplied by Kakuzi, which is owned by British-based Camellia. 

Ten rapes and an attack which left a man fatally injured are among a string of harrowing allegations which form the case being brought against the company, according to lawyers representing the claimants. 

It is claimed that, in May 2018, the estate’s guards battered a 28-year-old man to death for allegedly stealing avocados while he was making his way home across the property.

Kakuzi said it has already settled a civil case with some of the man’s relatives following his "tragic death".

The farm — said to be roughly the size of Manchester — is so sprawling that villagers have no choice but to use the land to access basic services, bringing them into occasional contact with the 470 security guards. 

A teenage girl was allegedly raped by the guards after she was caught collecting firewood on the land, while other alleged rape victims became pregnant and contracted HIV.

The allegations, dating from 2009 to January this year, also include false imprisonment, violent attacks and other forms of "serious mistreatment", according to Leigh Day, the UK law firm which has brought the case. 

The Kenyam claimants are expected to be represented by barristers including Amal Clooney, the human rights lawyer.

On Sunday, Kakuzi released a statement questioning the decision to launch legal action in the UK, saying “few of these accusations have ever been reported to Kakuzi or the Kenyan authorities”. 

It continued: “As a responsible corporate citizen Kakuzi does not condone any criminal activities or behavior by any of its employees and to this end we have requested the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to investigate the allegations of criminality and take action in accordance with the law.”

Camellia said in a statement that it owned a 50.7 per cent stake in Kakuzi but does not “have operational or managerial control”, adding: “Kakuzi is investigating the allegations so that if there has been any wrongdoing, those responsible for it can be held to account and if appropriate, safeguarding processes can be improved.”

Sainsbury’s said it took “allegations of this nature extremely seriously”, while Lidl said it had undertaken “a full independent investigation” into the allegations and Tesco said it had been “working closely” with the Ethical Trading Initiative to investigate the issue.