November 27, 2025
Listed agribusiness firm Kakuzi PLC has cautioned investors of a potential “material risk” to its operations after the National Land Commission (NLC) ordered the company to surrender 3,200 acres to resolve historical land injustice claims.
The directive, reinforced by recent legislative amendments that give the NLC sharper enforcement powers, also requires Kakuzi to relocate schools and public utilities located within its Murang’a County farms and provide land for a proposed new urban centre. The commission further instructed the firm to formalize earlier land transfers and allocate additional parcels for public use, extending the scope of compulsory changes far beyond the initial surrender.
Kakuzi, one of Kenya’s leading producers of avocados, blueberries and macadamia nuts, said the orders could significantly disrupt its farm operations. The company warned that any forced reduction in productive acreage would directly impact earnings and threaten employee livelihoods across its flagship estate.
The land claims stretch back to the colonial era, when British settlers consolidated large agricultural estates in the region, displacing communities from ancestral land. Descendants of those communities, many of whom returned as landless residents, filed petitions under Kenya’s historical land injustice framework seeking restitution.
Kakuzi said it is reviewing the NLC’s recommendations and intends to “use all legal avenues to protect shareholder interests.” It has advised its roughly 1,400 shareholders in Nairobi and London to exercise caution pending the outcome of the legal process.
The decision will determine the extent of land Kakuzi ultimately loses and the level of operational, financial and legal pressure facing one of Kenya’s most prominent agricultural firms.
For more information see the Cautionary Announcement -By Kakuzi