Hot air at Lancaster

M produced by the poli- UCH hot air is being ticians who are attending the Kenya Constitutional Conference in London. It began on February 14 and is likely to go on for several more weeks.

Ostensibly the discussions centre around the kind of constitution to be operated in a politically independent Kenya. KADU stands for a federal constitution and the decentralization of power. KANU, which is in opposition and which so far has the support of the workers and peasants of Kenya, stands for a strong unitary form of government.

• FREEDOM The British colonial minister, Maudling, set the line of the conference when he referred in his opening remarks, to 'a constitution that will give to individuals freedom from oppression, and an assurance of equality before an impartial law'.

These are the hypocritical, cant phrases one expects from capitalist politicians.

But behind the scenes some realistically hard bargaining is going on. It is being conducted by power hungry politicians who are divided not by any rrinciples or policies but by their personal ambitions.

These discussions are taking place against a background of rising discontent in Kenya. The workers organized in trade unions are taking an increasingly militant line.

HAND OVER

A conference of railway workers in Mombasa recently demanded an increase of wages to a minimum of f12 10s. per month. The conference demanded also that all jobs now held by Europeans or Asians should be handed over to African employees before the end of the year.

The union has drawn up a blacklist of non-Africans who should be dismissed immediately because of their past bad behaviour towards African workers.

The House recently threatened to call a general strike over arbitrary dismissals of workers for 'failing to salute a European'. Many workers are now saying to their bosses, We will show you when uhuru (independence) comes'.

Kenyatta has demanded that a date should be set for independence immediately. But in an interview to the Nairobi 'Sunday Nation' before he left for the conference, Kenyatta made it clear that he did not stand for socialism nor was he for nationalization.

In a maiden speech to the Legislative Council on January 25 this year he denied reports that he had told Kenyans they would get land free after independence.

He favoured a scheme similar to that prevailing in Denmark where townspeople are given a cottage and 6-12 acres of land.

He has always insisted on the need to preserve the confidence of foreign investors SO that agricultural production may be developed and increased. ' Kenya is primarily an agricultural country,' he stated.

There are, however, much more radical demands being made. There is, for example, Mr. Paul Ngei: he is a member of KANU but he has been excluded from the Lancaster House conference. He called for the taking over of European land without compensation.

The Land Freedom Army has been re-established recently in Kenya. According to 'The Times' it has between 2,0005,000 members.

This consists of small groups of landless and unemployed peasants and agricultural worings of the possibility of a breakdown in the economy of Kenya. Already damage caused by floods has caused severe hardship. Unemployment among farm workers has reached serious proportions.

Conversations between rival groups of self-seeking politicians in London will solve nothing except the survival ism in Kenya.

Only by taking power into their own. hands c in the workers and peasants of Kenya guarantee a sure future for themselves.

LETTER Dear Comrades, I send you a resolution adopted recently by the African Students' Federation in France. This protests against Sekou Toure's repression and completes my article (End of an Illusion') on the same subject.

I think it is worthwhile publishing this resolution in The Newsletter. You can mention that the French Communist Party, 'left' papers like 'L'Express' and ' France-Observateur' and, of course, all other 'bourgeois' papers have not published a word on it. Paris MAMADOU KEITA The Federation of North African Students in France at their 14th Congress held on December 27-30, 1961, in Paris:

Reaffirmed their active solidarity with the trade unionists on trial and the patriots who are imprisoned.

Reaffirmed their loyal support for the people of Guinea in their struggle for liberty, dignity, prosperity and justice.

Demanded from the PDG and the government of Guinea1. The liberation and rehabilitation of the patriots in prison. The halting of all other repressive measures.

The re-opening of the