HC Deb 23 January 1957 vol 563 cc169-70
33. Mr. Hale

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of Africans whose qualifications have up to the most recent convenient date been accepted for entry upon the voters' roll in Kenya.

Mr. Maclay

By 31st December last, when registration closed, 126,508 Africans had been enrolled as voters.

Mr. Hale

From my computation, that appears to be about I in 500 of the African population. Does the right hon. Gentleman regard that as a reasonably adequate contribution? When he talks about a qualitative qualification, does he mean that those who support the present régime may qualify for a vote and that those who oppose it may not qualify?

Mr. H. Fraser

On a point of information. Will the hon. Gentleman explain how he calculates that there are 50 million people in Kenya?

Mr. Maclay

I make the proportion about 7 per cent. My right hon. Friend is somewhat disappointed at the results of registration, but they are not negligible. My right hon. Friend feels that the fact that over 125,000 have registered as voters shows, for one thing, that the system is not too complicated to work, if there is genuine African interest in obtaining a vote.

Mr. Dugdale

Quite apart from the detailed persons who are not allowed to register, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is a regulation that no person who is a member of the Kikuyu, Meru or Embu tribes shall be eligible to be registered as a voter? Is that not serious, and does it not disqualify large numbers of people who should be allowed to vote?

Mr. Maclay

My information is not exactly that of the right hon. Gentleman. The fact is that the percentage of registrations in the Central Province constituency, where the bulk of the tribes afflicted by Mau Mau reside, was higher at 30th November than that for the Colony as a whole.