§ 73. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement regarding the restrictions placed upon African political meetings in Kenya, with particular reference to the conditions attending the meeting held by Mr. Tom Mboya, M.L.C., at the Desai Memorial Hall, Nairobi, on Friday, 24th May.
§ Mr. ProfumoA statement was recently issued by the Kenya Government on African political meetings; this statement has my right hon. Friend's full support. The conditions attached to the permit for Mr. Mboya's meeting were in accordance with the policy announced in the statement.
The statement referred to above was issued by the Kenya Government, on 22nd May, and was as follows:
Recently, as part of a process of gradual relaxation of restrictions. African political meetings have been freely allowed. There have, however, now been indications at some African political meetings of attempts to undermine the Government's authority; inflammatory speeches have been made which if unchecked might lead to a return to violence. The Government have therefore decided that it is necessary to return to a stricter control.
2. This decision has been taken by the Government with the greatest reluctance but the situation is now such that firm action is required. At a recent meeting attempts were made to discredit both the Lyttelton Plan and land consolidation, which is a basic agrarian reform. What is more, the deliberate misstatement was made that it was the Lyttelton Plan which had brought land consolidation to Kenya.
On the following day a number of Africans from an area in which land consolidation had been proceeding satisfactorily refused without reason to go on a farm planning course connected with land consolidation. Previously the men concerned had specially asked to be allowed to attend the course and places had been reserved for them, although there were more applications than could be accepted. These tactics are reminiscent of the methods employed by the leaders of the Mau Mau movement before the declaration of the Emergency deliberately to obstruct agrarian reform in order to gain their disruptive political ends.
3. At the same meeting the police force and the Army were derided, the King's African Rifles being referred to as "an Army of slaves", and the African police officers 31W present at the meeting being reviled as prisoners of the Europeans". The phrase "the war will never end" was repeated a number of times.
4. A newspaper report of a speech including reference to a spilling of blood in Kenya and an implication of praise for the Mau Mau found its way into the Athi River detention camp. This is one of the key centres of the Government's rehabilitation system where a bold new experiment is taking place. This camp has a successful record in the rehabilitation of Mau Mau, including a large number of hard core detainees from Mageta Island. Rehabilitation work at Athi River had been proceeding very well, so much so, that recently of 638 ex-Mageta Island detainees who were undergoing rehabilitation treatment, all but nine had responded most encouragingly, had confessed to their association with the Mau Mau, and were co-operating with the rehabilitation staff.
Three days after the newspaper report referred to reached the camp 57 detainees retracted the confessions they had previously made, although in the previous four months the average of retracted confessions at Athi River had been only one per week. This was a serious setback to the rehabilitation process.
5. Although the Government are reluctant to restrict the political activities of Africans, and especially of Members of the Legislative Council, it cannot allow to continue unchecked attempts to undermine the loyalty of African Government servants, particularly members of the security forces, and it cannot permit the creation of a situation from which violence may arise.
6. Certain checks will therefore be imposed on African political meetings. While it is hoped that these restrictions will be of a temporary nature only, the Government wish to make it clear that they are resolved and prepared to deal promptly and firmly with any sign of incitement to undermine or defy authority or to threaten security.
7. The law relating to the issue of licences for, and conduct of. African political meetings will be strictly enforced. It will be made a condition of any licence issued in future for such meetings that if the authorities so decide the proceedings will he recorded on tape recorders in order that there may be an incontestable record of what is said.
8. The responsibility for the proper conduct of such meeting should rest on the principal participant, and accordingly where an African Member of the Legislative Council wishes to organise a political meeting or to be present or to speak at such a meeting a licence for the meeting will be issued only in that Member's name. The issuing authority will decide in its discretion in each case whether the guest speakers from outside a constituency may be allowed to speak at an African political meeting in that constituency.
9. Collections of money cannot be made at public meetings without prior authority. Permission for collections will not ordinarily be withheld where the purpose of the collection is lawful but such permission must be obtained before a collection is made.
32W10. These developments have to be viewed against the background of the progressive relaxation of the emergency restrictions and the release to normal life of approximately 1,500 detainees every month. Concern has been expressed by responsible sections of African opinion at the disturbing effects of such inflammatory speeches on the African people.