An unpublished report has revealed that a large Del Monte pineapple farm in Kenya is the site of significant human rights violations, including multiple deaths and acts of violence.
According to documents obtained by the Guardian, Del Monte Kenya is facing severe criticism for its involvement with a group of thieves. The report reveals that the company’s staff are suspected of collaborating with this criminal organization, sharing insider information. The farm has also been plagued by widespread incidents of organized pineapple theft, resulting in significant losses of crops.
Last month, the social auditing organization Partner Africa provided a report to British supermarkets that receive supplies from the farm. Following this, authorities have been looking into four additional deaths of individuals whose bodies were discovered in a river during Christmas. These individuals had attempted to steal pineapples from the farm near Thika.
Following the recent deaths, Del Monte stated that they are collaborating with Kenyan officials in their ongoing investigation of the four individuals found in the Thika River. The company also mentioned that their footage of the attempted pineapple theft does not reveal any wrongdoing on their part.
Several grocery stores informed the Guardian that they had requested Del Monte to thoroughly investigate the recent fatalities. Two stated that they had removed the farm’s items from their sales floors.
Last summer, The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed accusations of violence and fatalities caused by security guards at the Kenyan farm.
Afterwards, Del Monte requested a human rights assessment of its operations in Kenya. The assessment found that there was a severe conflict between unorganized groups of pineapple thieves and Del Monte’s security personnel, resulting in casualties on both sides such as injuries and deaths. The report determined that the farm in Kenya is causing significant human rights violations in various aspects for its employees and the surrounding communities.
The article also mentions that organized theft presents a greater danger to innocent bystanders. These individuals may be mistaken for thieves and face potential harassment and arrest by security guards. In 2021, The Guardian reported an incident where a group’s van broke down on a public road within the farm and they were allegedly attacked by guards with wooden clubs, resulting in injuries such as a broken leg.
On November 17th, Partner Africa sent their report to Del Monte. In December, Del Monte sent an executive summary to supermarkets, shortly after the Guardian and TBIJ released a report on another death. The body of Peter Mutuku Mutisya was found in a dam on Del Monte’s farm in November, just four days after friends reported that he had gone there to steal pineapples. According to Del Monte Kenya, they have fully assisted the Kenyan authorities in their investigation of Mutisya’s death and the postmortem concluded that he died from drowning.
Last summer, Tesco ceased selling pineapples from Del Monte’s Kenyan farm. In September, Waitrose announced that they had also discontinued the sale of pineapples from the same farm.
Regarding the four fatalities that occurred in December, a representative from Tesco expressed their worry and stated that they were made aware of fresh accusations regarding the Thika farm in Kenya owned by Del Monte. In June 2023, they made the choice to halt the sale of Del Monte fruit products from this particular farm due to previous allegations, and this decision still stands. They are actively encouraging Del Monte, both independently and through collaborative industry groups, to take necessary and strong measures, including conducting a thorough investigation into these recent deaths.
A representative for Waitrose stated: “We hold all of our suppliers to high ethical standards and are deeply troubled by these grave accusations.”
They stated: “On 18 December, Del Monte shared an executive summary of Partner Africa’s report on the assessment of human rights impact with ETI members, including us and other supermarkets. The report highlights improvements that Del Monte should implement.”
The report from Partner Africa urges Del Monte to promptly address the needs of those whose rights have been infringed upon. It also suggests that the company creates a plan of action for upholding human rights.
A representative of the British Retail Consortium expressed alarm over the recent accusations. The well-being of individuals and communities involved in our supply chains is a top priority for our members, and any behaviors that do not meet our rigorous standards will not be accepted.
Retailers will evaluate progress once a sound action plan, based on the report’s recommendations, is put into effect.
Peter McAllister, the head of the Ethical Trading Initiative, stated that the ETI was responsible for organizing the human rights impact assessment (HRIA) conducted by Partner Africa. He also mentioned that the ETI has reviewed the complete report and finds it to be strong and trustworthy.
However, McAllister stated that the assessment did not intend to examine particular and unique instances, such as the unfortunate passing of Peter Mutuku Mutisya or the more recent fatalities.
The speaker stated that, in their view, an impact assessment is not an appropriate method for this inquiry and ETI is not qualified to handle it. They have been informed by Del Monte that an investigation has occurred or is planned. They believe that a thorough and unbiased investigation into the deaths of five individuals is crucial and should be conducted with efficiency, transparency, and independence.
“We will persistently address with Del Monte the necessity for a trustworthy and thorough examination of these fatalities with evident responsibility.”
Amidst criticism from organizations such as Amnesty and other human rights non-profits, it was revealed that supermarkets failed to thoroughly investigate allegations brought to light in a joint investigation published by the Guardian in the previous summer.
Amnesty, SOMO, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission voiced apprehension regarding the handling of allegations of killings by Del Monte and supermarkets.
The charities were worried that Partner Africa’s efforts were focused on evaluating the impact on human rights, rather than addressing the specific allegations mentioned in the reports.
In November, they sent letters to Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and Tesco expressing their belief that Del Monte should have conducted a thorough investigation with unbiased legal and fact-finding professionals.
Peter Frankental, a director of programmes at Amnesty, stated that British supermarkets must acknowledge their role in addressing the reported human rights abuses in their supply chains in Kenya.
Sara Clancy, the leader of Partner Africa, stated that they have collaborated with 261 individuals, including 70 members of the community, in order to gain insight on potential human rights risks and evaluate the implementation of human rights-compliant security measures in the company’s policies and practices.
Del Monte did not respond to a request for comment regarding the Partner Africa report. In the past, while addressing allegations of violence and deaths in the previous year, a representative stated that the company takes these allegations seriously and launched a thorough investigation. They also mentioned hiring an independent human rights consultancy, which has now been identified as Partner Africa by The Guardian.
The company Del Monte has expressed their dedication to continuously improving their operations in order to follow the highest global human rights standards in all of their business endeavors.
Source: theguardian.com
