§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proposals are being made by the Kenya Government for Africans to be given freehold title to land; and to what extent encouragement will be given to co-operative land ownership where necessary to ensure efficient land use.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAn official Working Party, whose Report I have placed in the Library, has recommended the systematic registration of all land interests in areas 69W of native land where the idea of individual ownership has gained sufficient acceptance among the Africans, and the conversion of rights of full ownership, which exist under native customary law, into freehold by registration. Subordinate rights will, however, be fully safeguarded. The Kenya Government have accepted these recommendations in principle.
Under the proposed law there will be no bar to numbers of small owners combining their land interests and transferring them to co-operative ownership, provided the local control board agrees; this board will consist mainly of local Africans. Cooperative societies as such, however, have no rights in land under customary law and so cannot initially be registered as owners.