18. Mr. EDMUND HARVEYasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether proceedings have been instituted in the High Court of British East Africa, on behalf of the Masai tribe, with regard to their recent removal from their Laikipia Reserve; and, if so, what is the exact nature of the proceedings; and whether the plaintiffs represent the tribe and have authority to plead on its behalf?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Harcourt)Yes, Sir. The action is rather a complicated one, but, in general terms, the plaintiffs claim that an agreement dated the 26th April, 1911, and made between the then Governor of the East Africa Protectorate and certain chiefs and elders purporting to act on behalf of the Masai tribe, whereby the latter agreed that a part of the tribe should vacate an area called the Northern Masai Reserve and remove to an area south of the Uganda Railway is not binding on the tribe generally and that the tribe are still entitled to the Northern Masai Reserve under the terms of an agreement entered into on the 9th August, 1904, between the Governor and certain then chiefs of the Masai tribe. The plaintiffs claim to act on behalf of the Masai tribe generally, but I am unable to say to what extent they actually represent the tribe, and the whole matter being now sub judice I shall be unable to answer any further questions in relation to it.
19. Mr. EDMUND HARVEYasked whether the Secretary for the Colonies has any recent information as to outbreaks of serious disease amongst men and cattle in the New Southern Reserve recently allocated to the Masai; whether there is any evidence that deaths from anthrax have taken place; and, if so, what steps are being taken to deal with the matter?
§ Mr. HARCOURTNo, Sir; but I will make inquiry.