Two Kenyan tribes have filed a case against the UK government European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for alleged colonial abuses.The Talai and Kipsigis have said in the lawsuit that these abuses include theft of land in Kericho, the tea-growing area of the African country, where area is still under the control of tea producing companies. The tribes are seeking $200 billion and an apology for the crimes. The tribes claim that the UK has not shown any interest in redressing the issue, which has violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
The complainants further said that they were forced to live in a valley infested with mosquitos, tse-tse flies and other insects as "punishment for resisting". Their bites led to deaths, miscarriages and massive loss of livestock, the Talai further claimed. Today, some of the world's most prosperous tea companies, like Unilever, Williamson Tea, Finlay's and Lipton, occupy and farm these lands and continue to use them to generate considerable profits, They have also accused the British army of unlawful killing, rape, torture and imprisonment.
This is not the first time that the Kenyan tribes have raised the issue at international level. The claims were first flagged before the United Nations in 2019 after which an investigation was conducted. In 2021, six UN special rapporteurs, in a joint communique, expressed their concerns at the "alleged lack of accountability
