Kenyan Senators have raised alarm over shocking allegations of torture and killings of residents suspected of stealing pineapples at the Del Monte farms in Murang’a and Kiambu counties.
The claims were brought to the Senate by Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, who accused guards manning the expansive plantation of committing atrocities against locals. He secured approval to have the Senate Security Committee investigate the incidents, with the probe expected to cover cases dating back to 2010.
“The committee should establish the findings of investigations by the DCI into each case, including details of security guards found culpable, apprehended, and prosecuted,” Nyutu said. He further urged the probe team to determine what steps Del Monte Kenya Limited has taken to ensure suspects are handed to police unharmed and whether families of victims will be compensated.
The revelations triggered outrage across the House. Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo termed the killings as “brutality that must not go unpunished.” He stressed that suspects of theft should face trial in court, not mob-style justice.
Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga compared the atrocities to colonial-era oppression, noting that even hunger-driven theft cannot justify murder. “This is a very serious matter. The government must investigate. Even if someone stole pineapples, that is a misdemeanour not a death sentence,” he said.
Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri condemned the brutality, saying such injustices persist because poverty pushes locals to risk their lives. Her colleague Beatrice Ogolla called for tough penalties against perpetrators, stating, “If one has tortured and killed our people over pineapples, there must be a way for such culprits to face equal punishment.”
The controversy comes months after the High Court dismissed a petition accusing Del Monte of rights abuses, including killings, torture, and rape allegedly committed by its guards. Activists claimed victims were beaten, drowned in dams, or dumped in rivers near the plantation.
The investigation is expected to shed light on the truth behind these allegations, amid ongoing disputes over Del Monte’s 10,000-acre plantation, which local communities say sits on ancestral land.
