Parliament and Kenya
The debates in the two Houses on Wednesday on the Kenya question brought out definitely two facts which were to most people clear enough before. In the first place, the solemn undertaking in the Ordinance of 1980 that no land should be taken from the native reserves except on condition of the addition of equivalent land elsewhere has been abrogated as regards " tem- porary" displacements; and in the second the provision whereby the local native council was to be consulted before such steps were taken has been abrogated likewise.
The official reply is in effect that the area concerned is small, that only a few natives are being disturbed, and that the working of the gold is for their own good. The real question is whether the reputation of a British pledge throughout Africa, or the immediate exploitation of the Kenya goldfield, is the more important. The Kenya Government and the Colonial Office are admittedly faced with a problem of great difficulty, and their critics do no service by painting exaggerated pictures of the situation, but the fact remains that the honouring of a British pledge is far more important than all the gold Kenya is likely to produce. If the Colonial Office cannot undo what is done, it ought at least to veto any further •encroachments till the Morris Carter Commission has reported and the whole question can be considered in a larger light. The vigour of non-party public opinion in this country on the Kenya question is an encouraging manifestation.
* * * *
Previous page
