Court acquits estate owners over dam tragedy

A Kenyan court acquitted the owners of a coffee estate over the collapse of a dam wall that saw 48 workers killed in 2018. Perry Kansagara, the MD of Patel Coffee Estates, general manager Vinoj Kumar and seven others were charged with 48 counts of manslaughter. The Daily News reports that Naivasha Magistrate Kennedy Bidali acquitted all the accused, saying the state had failed to properly prosecute the suspects. Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji said he would appeal ‘and seek to establish the relationship between the magistrate and the accused’. And lawyers for the victims also said they would next week seek a review of the ruling, which they described as a travesty of justice.