Kakuzi PLC is a listed Kenyan superfood producer trading on the Nairobi and London Stock Exchange, engaging in the cultivation, processing and marketing of avocados, blueberries, macadamia, tea, livestock and commercial forestry.
Kakuzi continuously strives to build a sustainable agricultural portfolio that can mitigate weather risks to which the sector has historically been subjected.
The history of Kakuzi dates back to the colonial period with the arrival of Mr. Donald Farquharson Seth-Smith[1] in British East Africa in 1906.
In 1907, Donald, together with Mr. Mervyn Ridley and Lord Cranworth they bought land (10117 ha) in Makuyu where they established their agribusiness venture.
Following a significant drought in 1984, the coffee plantations started to show symptoms of a serious fungal disease, Fusarium, which had been imported from poorly run neighbouring estates.
[7] In October 2020, the law firm Leigh Day said it had initiated legal action against UK firm Camellia, the parent of Kakuzi, on behalf of 79 Kenyans who accused Kakuzi's security guards of perpetrating abuses since 2009 including killings, rape, attacks and false imprisonment.
[8][9][10][11][12] Following these allegations, UK supermarket chain Tesco suspended avocado supply from Kakuzi Kenya due to the abuse claims.
[18] On August 3, Kenya's Capital Market Authority questioned the CEO and CFO of Kakuzi about allegations of tax evasion through transfer pricing and conflict of interest by its majority shareholder.