• A major UK supermarket has suspended buying fruits from the company over allegations of brutality.
• Committee seeks to assure foreign buyers that the production of agricultural products in the country, especially in Murang’a, is done ethically and in accordance with international standards.
Image: Alice Waithera
The Murang’a county assembly has come up with a committee to investigate the allegations of brutality at Kakuzi company.
The team comprises members of agriculture, trade, labour and governance committees, according to speaker Nduati Kariuki. It will also have two other people.
Tesco, one of Britain's largest grocery stockists, last month suspended the importation of Kakuzi avocados after the company was accused of breach of human rights.
Kakuzi is the country's largest exporter of avocados sourced from small-scale farmers.
British law firm Leigh Day has filed a suit against Camellia, Kakuzi’s parent company, at the High Court in London on behalf of 79 Kenyans.
The complainants, some of them Kakuzi employees, accuse the company’s security guards of perpetrating the crimes that include killings, rape, beatings and false imprisonment since 2009.
The company has apologised, saying policies and measures it has implemented to address human rights issues have been insufficient and that more needs to be done.
It is reviewing a human rights action plan that will form part of its strategy to handle rights issues in future.
It is also engaging Ethical Trading Initiative, a UK-based alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers' rights around the globe to address the raised concerns.
Nduati told reporters on Tuesday that avocados have become a cash crop in the county and a major source of income for many families.
Numerous companies dealing with the fruit are being established in Murang’a, he said, noting that this will go a long way in the county's industrialisation efforts.
“Murang’a county assembly and the executive would therefore like to protect this industry as it impacts seriously on the livelihoods of the people,” Nduati said.
The committee will establish whether the allegations are true and recommend measures against the perpetrators.
It will establish whether the allegations were reported to government agencies and what steps were taken.
The team will receive evidence from the victims either in writing or in person.
Further, the committee seeks to assure foreign buyers that the production of agricultural products in the country, especially in Murang’a, is done ethically in accordance with international standards.
“The committee’s report will be shared with various foreign buyers in the United Kingdom. We invite persons that may have information on the matter to seek the audience of the joint committee,” Nduati added.
The assembly seeks to forge a relationship between the company, its workers and the neighbouring community.
Makuyu MCA Stanley Mburu said the allegations against Kakuzi are not new but have never been investigated.
“As a resident of the area, I grew up hearing about assaults by guards. People are forced to walk long distances due to closure of public roads,” he said.
Mburu encouraged the community to disclose its grievances to the committee.
Kimorori MCA Amos Murigi asked the committee to establish whether the guards perpetrate the alleged offences individually or on behalf of the firm.
“The committee will talk to the community, Kakuzi company and the police to unearth the truth,” he said.
-mwaniki fm