Tesco’s Kenyan avocado supplier wants abuse claims probed

By Will Ross

A Kenyan food exporter has asked the country's chief prosecutor to investigate allegations of human rights abuses on its farms a day after the British retailer Tesco suspended supplies.

Kakuzi, which is the country's largest avocado producer, says it is the victim of a smear campaign.

It faces allegations that its security guards have over the last decade assaulted and raped local villagers and in one instance killed a man accused of stealing avocados.

The law firm Leigh Day says dozens of Kenyans have launched a legal claim in the High Court in London against the firm's parent company, Camellia Plc.

In a statement Kakuzi said it did not condone any criminal activities.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: Getty Images]