Kikuyu Land

Kenya may have gained its independence from British rule over half a century ago, but the scars of colonialism still run deep. This is especially true for the Kikuyu community, who had their homes forcefully taken from them to be turned into tea plantations. The colonisers of the past have now been replaced by a faceless corporation that’s just as corrupt and abusive. In the case of this feature, that business is multinational conglomerate Unilever. Journalist Bea Wangondu explores the horrors of tea plantations in the sombre but somewhat scattered documentary Kikuyu Land, directed by Wangondu and Andrew H. Brown.

One of the earliest scenes in Wangondu’s investigation sees her arrive at a heavily secured plantation entrance looking for an interview. The cold reception from security alongside the numerous warning signs creates a tense atmosphere. The hostility escalates further when the journalist is confronted and threatened by a guard while filming outside the plantation’s walls. The deeper into the sleuthing the documentary goes, the shadier the business’s behaviour becomes. Workers talk about how they feel trapped in their lives, not just from poverty, but by their ancestral connection to the land they don’t want to leave. Most harrowing, though, are the anonymous women who speak in detail about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of the machete-wielding managers who control the fields.

The documentary also focuses on Mr Mungai, a pastor and activist who’s been fighting for decades to reclaim his family’s land. As the deadline for his claim approaches amidst a looming election, this could be his last chance for success. There’s also Stephen, the son of a tea worker who dreams about a brighter future. Each of these strands serves to create an in-depth examination of the generational impact of plantation life, even if their fragmented delivery occasionally causes the central investigation to lose its narrative momentum.

Events take a darker turn during the film’s latter half. In addition to discovering an uneasy family secret, Wangondu also stumbles upon the larger corruption that allows the systematic abuse to continue. The result is an eye-opening revelation into the decades of suffering behind the morning cups of tea.

Andrew Murray

Kikuyu Land is released in select cinemas on 2^nd October 2026.

Watch the trailer for Kikuyu Land here: