On Tuesday, a group of Kenyans filed a complaint against the British government at the European Court of Human Rights for what they claimed to be land theft, torture, and mistreatment from the colonial era.
The Kericho region of western Kenya, now one of the most significant in the world for tea production, is where the Kenyans are asking for an investigation and redress for crimes they claim were committed.
“Sadly, the UK Government has dodged and dove, avoiding all available channels of appeal. We are forced to represent our clients in court in order to set the record straight “Joel Kimutai Bosek, a lawyer for the group, made the statement.
Requests for feedback from the British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office were not immediately fulfilled.
The legal team stated that the court will determine how much compensation might be awarded to the victims.
Although uncommon, British compensation for crimes committed during the colonial era is not unheard of. Kenyans who were subjected to torture by colonial soldiers during a rebellion at the end of the British Empire were awarded a multi-million dollar settlement in reparations in 2013, thanks to British agreement.
According to the United Nations, during the British colonial administration, which ended in 1963, more than 500,000 Kenyans from the Kericho region experienced grave human rights violations, including wrongful murders and displacement.
According to the United Nations, even though the same property has become valuable for international corporations, many people are still suffering from the economic effects of the theft of their land.
In a statement, the plaintiffs claimed that some of the most successful tea firms in the world, including Unilever, Williamson Tea, Finlay’s, and Lipton, still own and grow these properties and use them to make substantial profits.
Requests for comment from Unilever, Williamson Tea, Finlay’s, and Lipton were not immediately fulfilled.
According to the International Trade Center, Kenya is the top country in the world for black tea exports in terms of volume.
