§ Mr. R. Morganasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what attempts have been made in Kenya and Uganda, as distinct from Tanganyika, to encourage among the native population a patriotic 1158W attitude to the present war; and what has been the result?
Mr. M. MacDonaldIn Kenya and Uganda, the outbreak of war found the African populations united in support of His Majesty's Government in the action they had taken. Ample evidence of this is to be found in the spontaneous messages of loyalty and offers of service received from them. Since the beginning of the war every effort has been made to keep the African populations informed of the reasons for which the Allies entered into the war and of the progress of their cause. In accordance with plans prepared before the outbreak of war, information officers were immediately appointed in each territory, and since then action has been taken by the Colonial Office and the Ministry of Information working in close co-operation to provide a steady supply of material of all kinds for distribution by the information officers by every medium available. As regards the second part of the Question, the periodical reports from the information officers indicate that the African populations generally are taking a keen interest in the course of events. They have, of course, not been involved in actual military operations, but so far as their co-operation has been sought it has been spontaneously forthcoming as is shown by the ready recruitment of considerable numbers of African troops into the local forces.