Cooperation?

After seven tense weeks of bickering over a constitution, Kenya's African leaders flew home from London last week hoping to prepare their country for independence in 1963. Through deft compromise, Britain had won African acceptance of its constitutional proposals, and persuaded both major political parties to form a coalition government to rule the colony in the meantime. In the House of Commons, where he acknowledged a rare Opposition tribute to his skill in concluding the long, costly ($756,000 ) conference, Britain's Colonial Secretary Reginald Maudling declared: "We have now be?un the process of cooperation by which alone Kenya's urgent political and economic problems can be tackled."

Were Maudling's hopes illusory? Hardly had the Kenya Africans stepped off their planes in Nairobi when squabbling broke out among the leaders, notably KANU'S grey-bearded Jomo ("Burning Spear'') Kenyatta. 72. and solemn Ron ald Ngala, 39, president of KADU,* and since 1961 top African in the Kenya cabinet. Though Kenyatta and Ngala will jointly head Kenya's interim govern ment, they sounded like enemies. Bragged Ngala to his supporters on arrival: "KADU has emerged triumphant and has won out against Kenyatta.'' Old Jomo had a sneering retort: "We would have returned with Kenya's complete independence if it hadn't been for KADU leaders who insisted on taking orders from their colonialist bosses."

In fact, the constitution proposes substantial concessions to Ngala's minority KADU party. By contrast with KANU, which is overwhelmingly backed by Kenya's six most powerful tribes--notably the powerful Kikuyu--KADU seeks support from the Masai, Baluhya and other tribes that are numerically smaller but occupy far more land than KANU'S tribes. Fearful of a massive land grab by KANU supporters, many of whom devoutly believe Kenyatta's pledge that there will be land or jobs for all, Ronald Ngala demanded--and got--a measure of decentralization giving local control over African land rights, police, education and health.

However, Kenyatta's KANU seems certain of working control in Kenya's two-house federal parliament, enough control in fact to rewrite the London-made constitution its own way once the white chiefs leave and the Africans get full power.

*KADU stands for Kenya African Democratic Union; KANU lor Kenya African National Union.

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