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Police are probing the suspected homicide of four individuals accused of trespassing on a Del Monte pineapple farm by security guards, according to a statement by a regional commissioner on Thursday. The quartet was reported missing a week ago, with two bodies discovered on Sunday and another two found the following day in a river approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Nairobi, the capital.
Family members of the victims, speaking to local station Citizen TV, indicated that some of the bodies displayed injuries suggestive of possible beatings.
Patrick Mukuria, Murang’a County Commissioner, confirmed that they are “investigating the alleged murders” but provided no further details.
Del Monte, a US multinational specializing in fruits and vegetables, asserted that CCTV footage revealed the four men attempting to steal pineapples from its farm. The footage, according to the company, showed no wrongdoing on Del Monte’s part but depicted the individuals fleeing toward the river, dropping stolen pineapple bags as they evaded security guards.
“Del Monte Kenya is cooperating with Kenyan authorities as they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the four bodies,” the company stated, noting that autopsies were in progress.
The company also highlighted the rise of organized crime, particularly in pineapple theft, in the region. Del Monte, which employs 6,000 people in Kenya, has faced accusations of abuse and violence in the past. A joint investigation by The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in July accused guards at another Del Monte farm of running over two teenagers suspected of stealing pineapples.
Following the recent deaths, Kenya’s former deputy presidential candidate, Martha Karua, urged police and human rights groups to intervene, expressing concern over the continued violation of the right to life.
