Mwangi wa Iria accuses Del Monte of killing, dumping trespassers in dam

The Murang’a County government has accused food processor Del Monte of mistreating workers and covering up massive crimes on its plantations, including dumping in its dams bodies of trespassers who are often mauled to death by the company’s security dogs.

Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria makes the claims in response to a suit filed by the multinational against the Murang’a and Kiambu county governments.

The governor also accuses Del Monte of transfer pricing – the manipulation of prices between a firm and its subsidiaries aimed at avoiding taxes.

Murang’a says such acts have negated the corporate social responsibility acts the multinational has done in the region, which it is using to justify its claim for an extension of the lease for its 22,500-acre land that traverses the two counties.

Del Monte filed the suit last week seeking to compel Murang’a and Kiambu to renew the leases.

The plantation, in its petition, holds that it has constructed six clinics and a dam supplying clean water to locals, among other projects, as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.

Del Monte in its suit claims that Mr Mwangi demanded that it cedes 6,000 acres of its land as a precondition for extending its lease beyond 2022.

“In any event the alleged corporate social responsibility is whitewash since the facts on the ground point to negative impacts such as trespassers being mauled to death by Del Monte dogs, their bodies being dumped into Del Monte dams, and transfer pricing.

“Del Monte is a foreign company registered in the New York Stock Exchange and has no single local shareholder. In view of the above, this petition should be struck out,” says the governor. Kiambu County is yet to respond to the suit.

READ: Surveyors warn governors Kabogo, Chepkwony on foreign leases

The firm’s managing director Stergios Gkaliamoutsas claims that Mr Mwangi in a May meeting said that 3,000 acres of the ceded land would be for “public use” while the rest was to be used for the construction of a new city along the Thika-Nyeri highway.

Murang’a wants the case transferred to the Environment and Land division. Del Monte filed the suit in the Judicial Review division which handles administrative disputes. It avers that it is still in negotiations regarding Del Monte’s request for renewal of the land lease.

The county adds that Del Monte has not provided any evidence to show that it has been treated discriminatively as compared to other land owners. Murang’a insists that the request for land from Del Monte is not a violation of the firm’s rights.

“Murang’a County is merely involved in negotiations with regard to Del Monte’s application for renewal of the leases that expire in 2022. All matters relating to environment use and occupation are domiciled in the Environment and Land Court specifically at the High Court in Nyeri,” says Del Monte.

Mr Gkaliamoutsas says in an August 3 meeting that Mr Mwangi gave him two weeks to either cede the 6,000 acres of land or the county would not renew the leases, and go public with the decision.

Justice Louis Onguto will on October 1 rule on whether the matter should be transferred to the land court.