- A documentary by the BBC, published on February 20, lifted the lid on the sexual exploitation of female workers by managers, supervisors and contractors in the company.
- James Finlay and Ekaterra were also dealt a major business blow with the Rainforest Alliance withdrawing licences for their products.
Image: THE STAR:
More police officers have been sent to protect tea estates in parts of Bomet and Kericho Counties following cases of renewed attacks targeting private investments.
Police say they have seen a renewed trend of invasion and attacks on the farms with some political undertones hence the move to deploy more personnel to protect the businesses and personnel working there.
This follows Sunday, May 14 incident in which six police officers were admitted to hospital after they were attacked by more than 200 youths who were illegally harvesting tea at a James Finlay farm in Bomet County.
The confrontation between the police and farm invaders is the second one in a month.
In the past incident, one cop was left with serious head injuries in April, police said.
A documentary by the BBC, published on February 20, lifted the lid on the alleged sexual exploitation of female workers by managers, supervisors and contractors in the company.
James Finlay and Ekaterra were also dealt a major business blow with the Rainforest Alliance withdrawing licences for their products.
James Finlay is in the process of finalising the sale of its estates in Kericho and Bomet counties to Sri Lankan-based Browns Investments PLC in a deal that has kicked off a storm with local communities and county governments claiming not to have been involved despite owning the land occupied by the company on a 99-year lease.
Ekaterra bought the estates it occupies in the region from Unilever Tea Kenya almost two years ago.
Police said during last week’s confrontation, one suspect is reported to have drowned in Itare River, Konoin Constituency, as he fled from police officers who were dispersing youths from Chemasingi tea estate in Chepchabas civic ward.
Another youth, a 16-year-old boy, is also admitted at Kericho County Referral Hospital after a live bullet fired by police ripped through his abdomen and exited through the back, narrowly missing his internal organs.
Bomet police boss Mathews Mangira said two of the six police officers who sustained injuries are in a bad state in the Sunday incident.
“They were rushed to Chebitet Health Centre and Central Hospital owned by Ekattera Tea Company before being transferred to Kericho County Referral Hospital for specialised treatment,” he said.
A police vehicle was also torched and reduced to ashes by the youths.
The Toyota Landcruiser attached to Mogogosiek police divisional headquarters in Konoin was towed to Mara Mara police station.
Police are hunting down the group behind the attack. Police said 14 police officers on patrol within the estate on Monday were ambushed by the youths who had invaded the plantation to illegally harvest the green leaf.
The youths were armed with crude weapons including stones, slingshots, pangas, catapults, and wooden sticks, a police report said.
The officers fired teargas at the youths in a bid to disperse them in vain forcing the team to retreat after exhausting the teargas in their possession.
The team was surrounded by youths who erected barricades on the road.
And as the officers diverted to a different route, their vehicle skidded into tea bushes and got stuck in the mud.
The attackers caught up with the officers and began pelting them with stones, resulting in injuries and forcing them to withdraw with the help of Finlay company vehicles, leaving behind the patrol car.
The police vehicle was vandalized with two wheels and a battery stolen by the rowdy youths who torched it afterwards, police said.