Kenyan general election, 1934

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General elections were held in Kenya Colony in 1934, with the first seats elected on 28 March. [1] Four candidates were returned unopposed in the eleven Europeans constituencies, whilst the remaining seven constituencies were contested by 18 candidates. [1] For the five Indian seats, there were 17 candidates. [1] Voter turnout in the White seats was the highest since elections were introduced. [2] The Council convened for the first time after the election on 24 April. [3]

Kenya Colony British possession in east Africa between 1920 and 1963

The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya was part of the British Empire in Africa from 1920 until 1963. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in 1920. Technically, the 'Colony of Kenya' referred to the interior lands, while a 16 km (10 mi) coastal strip was the 'Protectorate of Kenya' but the two were controlled as a single administrative unit. The colony came to an end in 1963 when a black majority government was elected for the first time and eventually declared independence as Kenya.

White people in Kenya or White Kenyans, are those born in or resident in Kenya who descend from Europeans and/or identify themselves as white. There is currently a minor but relatively prominent white community in Kenya, mainly descended from British, but also to a lesser extent Italian and Greek, migrants dating from the colonial period.

Indians in Kenya are citizens and residents of Kenya with ancestral roots in the Indian subcontinent. Most are found in the major urban areas of Nairobi and Mombasa, with others living in rural areas.

Contents

Electoral system

The Legislative Council consisted of eleven ex-officio members, eight appointed government officials, two members appointed to represent the interests of the African community, one member appointed to represent the Arab community, and seventeen elected members. [4]

Legislative Council of Kenya

The Legislative Council of Kenya (LegCo) was the legislature of Kenya between 1907 and 1963. It was modelled on the Westminster system. It began as a nominated, exclusively European institution and evolved into an electable legislature with universal suffrage. It was succeeded by the National Assembly in 1963.

Of the seventeen elected seats, eleven were for Europeans, five for Indians and one for Arabs. Around 6,000-7,000 Europeans were registered to vote in the eleven constituencies. [1]

Arabs are a population inhabiting the Arab world. They primarily live in the Arab states in Western Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and western Indian Ocean islands. They also form a significant diaspora, with Arab communities established around the world.

Results

ConstituencyCandidateVotes%Notes
European seats
Aberdare Ernest Hay Wright 12042.25Elected
John Cotter 7827.46Defeated
Edward Evans7125.00
Edward Vaughan Kenealy 155.28
Coast Province Robert Robertson-Eustace 3862.30Re-elected
John Coverdale2337.70
Kiambu James Riddell 31167.20Elected
Walter MacLellan Wilson 12725.40
Corney Durham 6212.40Defeated
Mombasa Frederick Bemister UnopposedRe-elected
Nairobi North Ferdinand Cavendish-Bentinck 40656.62Elected
Franklin Vivian Ward31143.38
Nairobi South Helmuth Schwartze 32552.00Re-elected
Arthur Legat30048.00
Nyanza Conway Harvey 15062.24Re-elected
Frederick Bamber9137.76
Rift Valley Francis Scott UnopposedRe-elected
Trans Nzoia James Kirkwood 21854.50Re-elected
Albert George Keyser18245.50
Uasin Gishu Albert Hoey UnopposedElected
Ukamba Robert Shaw UnopposedElected
Indian seats
Colony and Protectorate Isher Dass Elected
Mangat Nahar Singh Elected
Pandya Jagannath Bhavanishanker Elected
Shams-ud-Deen Elected
Alex de Souza Elected
M H Malik
Abdul Rahman Mohamed Yakub
Chaturbhai Khushalbhai Patel
Hakim Singh Defeated
Devi Dass Puri
Karmali Khimji Pradhan
Babu Ram Sood
Oza Uchbrangrai Keshvari
Thakur Dass
Abdul Rahman Cocker
Nathubhai Jeevenjee Desai
Dhanwant Singh Defeated
Arab seat
Colony and Protectorate Sheriff Abdulla Salim el Huseini UnopposedElected
Source: East Africa, [5] Hansard [4]

Appointed members

PositionMember
Ex officioHenry Monck-Mason Moore
Walter Harragin
Geoffrey Walsh
Sydney Hubert La Fontaine
Ethelbert Bernard Hosking
Albert Rutherford Paterson
Harold Bertram Waters
Herbert Septimus Scott
Arthur Edward Hamp
John Clark Stronach
George Dougal Kirsopp
Appointed officialsThomas Fitzgeraldn
Edward Butler Horne
Harold Robert Montgomery
Henry Guy Pilling
Hugh Robert Everard Earle Welby
George Henry Carne Boulderson
Thomas Dundas Hope Bruce
Hamnett Holland Brassey-Edwards
African community
representatives
George Burns
Ruper William Hemsted
Arab community representativeAli bin Salim
Source: Hansard [4]

Aftermath

The newly elected Legislative Council met for the first time on 24 April. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Elections In Kenya: The Call For A "Team"", The Times, 28 March 1934, p13, Issue 46714
  2. "Kenya Legislative Council: Polling For European Seats" The Times, 4 April 1934, p11, Issue 46719
  3. "Better Prospects In Kenya: Revenue Increase, More Gold Areas To Be Opened", The Times, 25 April 1934, p13, Issue 46737
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kenya National Assembly Official Record (Hansard) 1934
  5. "Kenya General Election", East Africa, 19 April 1934, p641