Kenyan farm workers seek to join lawsuit over hazardous pesticides
Original report:
Eighty-seven people alleging pesticide-related illness are seeking to join a Kenyan court challenge against the government and agrochemical companies. The Guardian reports severe health problems among workers around Timau, while Bayer and Syngenta defend their products’ safety when used as directed.
People reporting serious illnesses after working on horticultural farms around Timau, central Kenya, are seeking to join a legal challenge over hazardous pesticides. The Guardian reports that 87 applicants, including former flower-farm sprayer Reuben Muriki, want to join a petition filed in 2022 against the Kenyan government and five agrochemical companies. Muriki now needs extensive care and cannot walk unaided.
Lawyer Kelvin Kubai said testing commissioned by the petitioners found paraquat and glyphosate above reference limits in all 87 applicants. Those findings are attributed to the petitioners’ team, not a court determination of causation. Bayer and Syngenta said their products were safe when used according to label instructions. Kenya’s pesticide regulator declined comment because proceedings were ongoing.
Timau’s export-focused horticultural farms employ thousands of local people and have supported families for generations. The allegations therefore concern both workers’ health and a major source of livelihoods. Some former workers described handling crops without protective equipment, while relatives now provide care for people whose illnesses have left them severely disabled.
Source
the Guardian — 3 November 2026
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