At least three police officers and a security guard were injured when they were stoned by a group of suspected pineapple thieves at the expansive Del Monte farm in Muranga.

The vehicle the officers were using was also damaged in the attack on Friday July 5 at about 1 pm, police said.

The victims were headed for Thika from Kenol and had reached at a petrol station when they were stoned by a group of about ten people.

One of the officers had a serious injury on the nose while two others had bruises.

A guard with G4S was also injured in the incident, police said.

The group was headed for Del Monte after a recruitment exercise of security guards canary when they were attacked.

The victims were rushed to a local hospital before one of them was referred to Kenyatta University Referral Hospital for further treatment.

Police and some locals usually clash over stealing of pineapples from the farm.

Hundreds of stolen pineapples were recovered in the past months in the operation dubbed “Operation Linda Mananasi”.

The suspects were fined a total of Sh2.3 million in the same period.

Murang’a County Police Commander David K. Mathiu has been leading the operation with local team within Ithanga/Kakuzi Sub-county with a view of arresting and preventing agricultural produces from being stolen.

This followed complaints from the farm management that there is rampant stealing of the products from the expansive farm.

Mathiu said a successful operation with officers drawn from other sub counties sealed the vast farm and also recovered ten cars, dozens of motorcycles and tuktuk that were being used in the theft.

He said the operation will continue to ensure the farm enjoys their business.

The vast plantation is estimated to cover at least 40 square kilometers of the area of Muranga.

The farm has public roads going through it and directly employs 237 security guards.

Guards on the farm are typically armed with rungus.

Their use in security is legal and common in Kenya because of the risk of violent theft, including from young men who regularly go in organised groups to steal pineapples, but the claims suggest the guards’ use of violence has been excessive.

The scale of theft has resulted in clashes with guards, who have themselves been injured, including one reportedly losing an eye after a stone was thrown by a thief.

The claims of violence by Del Monte security guards over a number of years raise serious questions about the company’s processes and due diligence at the farm.

In 2019, five guards at the farm were charged with murdering a man who strayed on a pineapple plantation.

The murder occurred on the night of April 20 and April 21, 2019 in Del Monte farm within Gatanga sub-county.

Police said Bernard Murigi was assaulted by the five to his death.