Threat To Curb Press In Kenya

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29913, 29 August 1962, Page 13

Threat To Curb Press In Kenya

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) NAIROBI, August 27. The deputy leader of the Kenva African Democratic Union, Mr Masind Muliro, said today that leaders of the rival Kenya African National Union were blaming the press, Europeans and imperialists for their own shortcomings.

He was commenting on an attack on the press made in a speech at Limuru yesterday by the organising secretary of KA N U, Mr John Keen. Mr Keen told the meeting: ‘‘There'll be no freedom of the press after independence Newspapers are trying to tell lies about the unity we are trying to create in K.A.N.U and in Kenya." A spokesman for the Kenya Union of Journalists, a nonracial organisation, said tonight the union’s council would meet this week to discuss the threat to press freedom The spokesman said that at the union's first conference at the week-end. many members expressed concern at Mr Keen's speech Mr Keen told Reuter in an interview tonight: “It is K AN U policy that for the first five years after independence an African government will bring all the press in Kenya under strict control ” Mr Keen did not make it clear whether he was speaking with approval of the party’s general council or of the party's leader. Mr Jomo Kenyatta "Newspapers which distort nevs and act against African unity and well-being will certainly be banned after independence." he said "There is a group of newspapers owned by the Aga Khan which are damaging to African unity in Kenya If these newspapers continue to promote African disunity in Kenya we will deal with them very ruthlessly after independence “I believe that Dr Nkrumah's action against certain newspapers in Ghana was quite right. If he had not done so there would be no Ghana now.” he said In a further reference to the Aga Khan's newspaper, the “Daily Nation.” Mr Keen said: “We shall confiscate the firm which publishes this

newspaper after uhuru (freedom).” Mr Muliro, in his statement said that Mr Keen’s declaration that there would be no freedom of the press after independence was in spite of the fact that this was one of the fundamental concepts of a bill of rights to which they had agreed in London.