Del Monte Farm killing fields and murderous guard
Security guards at the Del Monte Pineapple farm in Thika Kiambu county have been accused of extreme violence and killings on alleged trespassers.
Claims from villagers living around the expansive farm, say the heavy-handed guards are fond of assaulting and killing people suspected of trespassing on one of the country’s biggest pineapple farms, owned by Del Monte.
Armed with typical wooden clubs commonly known as rungus which are legal and common in private security practice in Kenya because of the risk of violent theft, they stand guard against perpetrators including young men who regularly go in organised groups to steal pineapples.
Del Monte management says the claims are extremely serious and it is urgently investigating the matter amid claims guards at the pineapple farm are alleged to have killed three men in the last four years, leaving relatives distraught.
“The conduct alleged in these cases is in clear violation of Fresh Del Monte’s long-standing commitment to human rights and the comprehensive policies and procedures we have in place to ensure our operations respect the dignity of all individuals. Our proactive investigations continue and will be supported by an independent review by a specialist human rights consultancy. We continue to fully support the Kenyan authorities’ investigations to better understand the nature of these allegations and confirm their veracity.” Said a statement from Del Monte.
A villager by name Grace Mbinya whose son’s battered body was found on the roadside by Del Monte’s Kenyan pineapple farm recently, has been trying to block out what happened to him on the fateful day.
Another case is that of Stephen Thuo Nyoike, then 22, who is alleged to have gone with friends to the plantation near Thika to steal ripe pineapples one evening, then the next day, his body was discovered face down in the red dirt by a road next to the farm, his forehead caved in and his throat strangled with a wire.
Stephen was an apprentice welder and had promised his mother he would one day buy the family a better home. She remembers him as thoughtful and kind – her last memory was of him planting yams and cooking her a dinner of ugali, greens and tea two nights before he died.
“I just want justice for my son.” His mother said. “They should have just arrested and jailed him … where he is now, I can never see him and I will never see his children.”
Stephen is one of three men whom Del Monte security guards are alleged to have killed in the last four years. A joint media investigation has uncovered claims of violence by guards at the plantation over a number of years.
It is estimated that the company’s plantation covers more than 40 sq km, stretching across two counties with space for a factory, public roads, schools and a police station. Its size means people living in the villages and towns around it often travel through the farm on public roads.
Efforts to get comment from the Secretary General of the Kenya Private Security Workers Union Isaac Andabwa bore no fruit.
