Catalogue description The Stamp Mission: Transfer of Land in Kenya

The Stamp Mission, under the chairmanship of the Hon. A Maxwell Stamp and consisting of G J Caren, Dr A M M McFarquhar, R J M Swynnerton CMG OBE MC and joint secretaries F N Brockett and T Duffy, was appointed by the then Minister for Overseas Development, the Rt. Hon. Barbara Castle MP in January 1965 to advise on proposals for a further transfer of European farms in Kenya. Terms of guidance of the mission were:

• i) In the light of the progress of existing settlement schemes and their effect upon the advancement of African farming and the economy of Kenya; and of all other relevant circumstances in Kenya today, to advise the British Government on the need for a further scheme for the transfer of European farms to African ownership and if there is a need, what form such a scheme should take.
• ii) The team will have before them the proposals of the Kenya Government set out in their memoranda prepared in April and December 1964. They will wish to examine these proposals in consultation with the Kenya Government but they should consider other alternative solutions.
• iii) If a further scheme of land purchase is recommended, the mission should advise as to its extent; its timetable; the system of valuation to be applied to the purchase of European mixed farms; the financial viability of the scheme; the financial implications for the governments in the light of the system of valuation recommended and of the methods of settlement and development and possible systems of management contemplated; the effect of the scheme on the economy of Kenya including on export trade; and the requirements of farmers and staff, including the training of Africans, for the successful implementation of the scheme.

The Kenya Government's proposals of April and December 1964 were superseded by proposals of January and February 1965 and final proposals were handed to the Mission on 22 March 1965, three weeks after its return from Kenya.

An interim report was handed to the Minister for Overseas Development in May 1965 and following consideration of this report, the Kenya Government submitted another set of proposals on 28 July.

In June the minister amplified the terms of guidance thus: It would be helpful if them final report would indicate the administrative framework which the mission consider the Kenya Government will require, if the mission's recommendations are to be properly implemented, particularly in terms of expatriate staff. We hope these recommendations will, so far as possible in the circumstances, cover land consolidation and other forms of agricultural development apart from the settlement of Africans on European mixed farming land and that the staffing requirements will be formulated to take account of these.

The final report of the mission was submitted in October 1965; it was not published.