Rights Group Files Lawsuit Against Del Monte Over Alleged Killings and Assaults at Kenyan Pineapple Plantation

A lawsuit has been filed against Del Monte, a US multinational food company, by a rights group and community activists over alleged killings and assaults at its large pineapple plantation near Nairobi.

The case, filed at the High Court in Kenya, represents individuals who claim to have been attacked by Del Monte security guards and relatives of alleged victims.

The company, which employs 6,000 people in Kenya and has a history of abuse accusations, has not provided an immediate comment. The lawsuit cites a recent incident where four men were suspected of murder while attempting to steal pineapples from the Del Monte farm.

The conflict revolves around a land ownership dispute between the company and the local community, which asserts ancestral claims to the land.

The lawsuit alleges that locals crossing the plantation have faced violence from Del Monte security, leading to multiple killings. It also accuses the guards of beating alleged thieves to death, drowning them in dams, or disposing of them in the nearby river.

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Del Monte’s wastewater contains “toxic pesticides” deemed hazardous by the World Health Organization. Several petitioners report injuries inflicted by guards in separate incidents, including being run over and experiencing sexual harassment. The lawsuit names Del Monte’s Kenya operation, along with top police and legal officials, as respondents.