Erdemann Property Limited has refuted claims it hired goons to disrupt operations at London Distillers Kenya on April 9, 2018.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer Zeyun Yang trashed the claims by London Distillers Kenya Limited that they used hired goons to disrupt operations and stone workers during recent protests at LDK.
Yang dismissed reports in paid up advertisement by the London Distillers of Kenya Limited’s Managing Director Avin Galot in a section of the local media outlets that the demonstration was a scheme financed and executed by Erdemann Property Ltd.
“The demonstration of more than 3,000 Athi River residents and stakeholders is just the powerful voice of people adversely affected by rampant environmental pollution expressing their anger over the threats posed on their lives,” Yang said.
“The conflict between LDK, the Athi River residents and stakeholders is something that has been brewing for a long time - decades and was bound to boil over as it is bound to explode if the critical issues raised are not addressed,” he added.
Yang said it was sad and demeaning for Mr. Galot to describe in his advert the demonstrating angry residents as “hired unruly protesters” and police when in the real sense it was his “workers” who attacked innocent peaceful protesters with stones near the LDK factory forcing the police to intervene with tear gas.
“The media were there to do their work and the cameras cannot cheat since they captured who started the trouble when all the protesters wanted was to deliver their environment pollution protest memorandum to Mr. Galot,” said Yang.
He pointed out that the more than 3000 demonstrators cannot be transported in merely seven buses as alleged by Galot nor did have the financial resources to hire that kind of number of people and psyche them to protest against what was obvious even to the police and the media who were covering the action.
The Erdemann Property Chief told Galot to carry his own cross, face the truth and reality instead of reverting to diversionary tactics as shown by the media advert over the matter since the LDK distillery factory has been polluting the environment for the last 30 years and getting away with it, but now it must pay for its wrongs.
The LDK advert headlined Public Notice stated that the company’s attention had been drawn to articles published on April 10th, 2018 in the mainstream print media about alleged pollution from our distillery and the confrontations that occurred on the same day at our distillery in Athi River between our staff and hired unruly protesters and police.
It goes on to state that the protests were arranged and financed by Erdemann Property and Limited and Jev Communications Ltd an events, advertising and Public Relations Company.
However, Jev Communications Managing Director Joseph Barasa told Galot to stop dragging his company name into their corporate wars or else, LDK and Galot will face serious legal action.
“LDK seems to have completely lost its sense of direction and focus because to my understanding the most critical issue here is the rampant pollution the company’s distillery has been splashing in that area for decades forcing NEMA to intervene but they were still arrogant and ignored the Authority’s orders,” said Barasa.
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