A Kenyan community-led consortium is contesting the sale of Lipton tea estates to Sri Lankan conglomerate Browns after their own bid failed. The estates, bought by Luxembourg-based CVC Capital from Unilever in 2022, are located in Kericho, Bomet, and Limuru counties and were forcefully taken from natives by British colonialists over a century ago. In a bid to secure ownership of the estates, the Kipsigis Community Clans Organization, representing over 340,000 members, partnered with London-based 101 Partners to finance the failed bid. They claim that, despite their willingness to match the highest offer, their bid wasn’t considered before the estates were sold to Browns. The consortium also claims the community was not adequately consulted on the sale, as required by law. They plan to file objections with Kenya’s Competition Authority, as well as the United Nations Human Rights Council accusing Lipton of violating consent requirements in cases of ancestral land transfers.
SOURCE: SEMAFOR
