Killings continue on Del Monte farm in Kenya, families say, after G4S hired for security

Left to right: Michael Muiruri, Stephen Marubu Kibandi and Haron Kame Kibandi were all killed in the last year on Del Monte’s pineapple farm in Kenya. View image in fullscreen Left to right: Michael Muiruri, Stephen Marubu Kibandi and Haron Kame Kibandi were all killed in the last year on Del Monte’s pineapple farm in Kenya. Killings continue on Del Monte farm in Kenya, families say, after G4S hired for security Exclusive: Three men killed in incidents over past year allegedly involving G4S guards, who replaced in-house team after previous deaths Bereaved families and politicians have raised alarm about continued killings on Del Monte’s pineapple farm in Kenya despite the company hiring G4S to replace its in-house security team after previous deaths were exposed by the Guardian. Del Monte appointed G4S to guard the farm, which is estimated to cover at least 40 sq km, the area of a small city, after the Guardian detailed allegations of brutal assaults and killings of people suspected of trespassing on its land. Kenyan police have been working with G4S to guard the site. Three men, including two brothers, were killed in separate incidents over the past year allegedly involving G4S guards. Stephen Marubu Kibandi, 34, was shot in the chest from close range by a police officer working alongside G4S guards last August after they claimed to have been attacked. The victim put his hands up in surrender before being shot, according to a witness. His brother, 27-year-old Haron Kame Kibandi, died in April this year after allegedly being struck on the head by stones thrown by G4S guards and falling from a motorbike. A third man, 31-year-old Michael Muiruri, was killed after being knocked off a motorbike by a G4S pickup truck. In 2023, the Guardian revealed allegations about the killing of four men at the farm over a decade. Security at the farm was reviewed as part of a human rights impact assessment , which found that the farm was causing human rights harms across several areas. In March 2024, Del Monte Kenya outsourced all of the security at the farm to a team of 270 G4S guards. Announcing the deal , Wayne Cooke, the then acting managing director of Del Monte Kenya, said: “The safety and security of each individual within our company and the surrounding community are our top priority.” Del Monte Kenya appointed a new manager to address its “human rights challenges” . This year, the Kenyan police extended their work with G4S to guard the site, setting up a “critical infrastructure protection unit” to help improve security at the farm. View image in fullscreen Margaret Njeri Murigi tends to the grave of her son Michael Muiruri who died after being knocked off a motorbike. Photograph: Edwin Okoth/The Guardian Campaigners fear there will be more deaths on Del Monte’s pineapple farm because the involvement of police makes the use of lethal force more difficult to prosecute. G4S denies wrongdoing. The farm in Murang’a county is the largest exporter of Kenyan prod