§ 68. Mr. Braineasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the losses suffered by farmers and others in Kenya as a result of the Mau Mau rising; and whether he will make a statement about compensation for such losses.
§ Mr. LytteltonYes. The Kenya Government do not accept liability for such losses and are not under any legal obligation to do so. The Government did, however, recognise at the beginning of the emergency that in some cases these losses would cause extreme hardship and was prepared in such cases to considerex gratia assistance from public funds within the limits of the resources which could be made available.
A committee was set up in 1952 to advise on applications for such assistance. Payments made already amount to £206,563 and, in addition, loans amounting to £18,500 have been made to persons temporarily short of working capital.