Camellia Plc, the parent company of Kakuzi is seeking an out-of-court settlement of a human rights abuse case in where Kenyan victims have sued Kakuzi and affiliates in the UK.
Kakuzi was sued over allegations that their employees were meting out violence and rape to residents of Murang’a County where the company is situated.
Camellia owns a 50.7 % stake in Kakuzi and has spent more than Sh500 million in legal fees but is now resorting quicker ways to solve the mess.
“Meanwhile, we are urgently exploring with UK law firm Leigh Day (which is bringing legal claims based on allegations of wrongdoing by Kakuzi's security guards) whether their clients' claims can be quickly resolved as this would help ease the tensions in Kenya that have recently been mounting,” Camellia said.
Leigh Day raised the claims against Camellia's Kakuzi and affiliates on a no-win no-fee basis as it remains open for the world to see if the victims and the suspect can agree on a compensation that will terminate the court case.
Termination of the cases will see Kakuzi resume it's supply of avacadoes to the UK and Germany where leading chains like Tesco have suspended their orders. Camellia vowed to change it's governance policies to effectively deal with future abuse cases.
“These claims have prompted Camellia to take urgent action to review and, if appropriate, upgrade the group’s governance and safeguarding oversight functions to ensure that in every respect they comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.” Camellia said.
The multinational company also clarified that whether all the allegations are true or false, it is clear that something has gone extremely wrong in the company they invest in.
It added that it will use its shareholding influence to woo its subsidiaries to implement all changes that will be deemed necessary.