20 NOVEMBER 1959, Page 20

was no mean job for His Excellency the new Governor

of Kenya to announce his intention to call off the seven-year-old state of emergency and to express the feeling that Kenyans of all races shall now forget the past and look to the future with hope.

Doubtless the Kenyans arc indebted to Sir Patrick for this bold decision and any other prohouncements which he made during the official opening of the Legislative Council on Tuesday, November 10.

However, I am positive that no sane African in this country would like to associate himself with His Excellency's unfortunate decision to continue hold-

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ing Jomo Kcnyatta and other African leaders in solitary restriction. It must be acknowledged that Kenyatta is regarded as the symbol of African nationalism—the father of any future African nation. And therefore there is no force on earth capable of keeping his name out of the African struggle for national self-determination.

Embodied in Sir Patrick's speech was the announce- ment regarding those who have been invited to take part in the forthcoming Constitutional Conference which opens at Lancaster House next January. The country is dismayed to find that the Specially Elected Members (like their electors, namely the whole Legis- lative Council short of African Elected Members sitting as an Electoral College) have been invited to attend the conference. Who arc these gentlemen repre- senting at the talks if their electors will be there?

Kenya is primarily an African State whether this is, has been, will be declared by the present adminis- trators or not. And the land is the birthright of the Africans, every inch of it. Time is getting out of joint : we had better watch and pray.—Yours faith- fully,