New bank notes row: Judges visit KICC in Omtatah case

By , K24 Digital
On Thu, 15 Aug, 2019 16:37 | < 1 min read
new currencies
A three-judge bench visited KICC on August 15, 2019 to establish if Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's statute is part of the building. PHOTO | LENNOX SENGRE | MEDIAMAX NETWORK LIMITED
A three-judge bench visited KICC on August 15, 2019 to establish if Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's statute is part of the building. PHOTO | LENNOX SENGRE | MEDIAMAX NETWORK LIMITED

By Lennox Sengre

A three-judge bench on Thursday visited the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi to find out where Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's statute forms part of the building.

This is after activist Okiya Omtatah contested the inclusion of the image of Kenya's founding president on the new currency notes.

Justices Anthony Mrima, Kimondo Kanyi and Arsenath Ongeri visited the iconic building to determine whether it is prudent to include the image of Mzee Kenyatta in the new currencies.

Omtatah wants the Central Bank of Kenya to stop printing of the new currencies until the image of Mzee Kenyatta is removed from the currency designs.

The activist's petition accused CBK of contravening Article 231(4) of the Constitution.

"Notes and coins issued by the Central Bank of Kenya may bear images that depict or symbolise Kenya or an aspect of Kenya but shall not bear the portrait of any individual," Article 231(4) reads.

The court will rule on September 27 whether the statute is part of the KICC building and if it is legal to have it on the new bank notes.