This archive report was first published on 26 December 2021.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration has been a beehive of activities since his assumption of office in 2013. Notable changes have been instituted, including the overhaul of police uniforms and the country's currency.
As President Uhuru Kenyatta's term nears its end, here are five major changes he made during his tenure.
Police Uniform
Police officers wearing new police uniforms.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration overhauled the police uniform in 2018. The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, under the leadership of CS Fred Matiang'i, introduced new uniforms featuring persian blue shirts and trousers with the side of the arms donning the word 'POLICE'. The new uniforms were designed to help in easy identification of police officers.
At the time, President Uhuru Kenyatta explained that the new uniforms were to help in easy identification of police officers. Besides the new uniforms, Uhuru merged the Regular and Administration Police (AP) services into a new unit referred to as the General Duty Officers (GD). The new unit comprises 64,252 officers under the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) with the aim of enhancing security in the country.
Money
File image of Kenyan banknotes.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration embarked on a currency changing journey in 2018. The Head of State launched the new generation currency at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), noting that the new coins were compliant with the 2010 Constitution. The exercise replaced the faces of politicians, that of the founding President Jomo Kenyatta and his successor Daniel Moi, with those of animals and the country's iconic landmarks.
The new notes were also changed to display features that make them accessible to visually impaired people.
Huduma Card
A worker holding a Huduma Namba card at a mass printing facility in Nairobi.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration announced plans to replace the national Identification cards with Huduma Namba cards in 2019. The new cards would capture an individual's data, including National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) information, to reduce the huge number of cards produced by various departments and organisations.
Uhuru became the first person to receive the Huduma Namba Card in October 2020, followed by the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. However, the rollout of the card was declared illegal by the High Court in October 2021 for being in conflict with the Data Protection Act. The state had spent Ksh10 billion in the exercise.
Competency Based Curriculum
A teacher and students inside a classroom at Kawangware Primary School, Nairobi, on October 5, 2015.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration began the process of overhauling the Education system in 2017, introducing the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). The new system sought to reduce the years spent in Primary school from 8 to 6, with 2 years of pre-primary education, 6 in primary, 3 years in junior secondary education, 3 years in senior secondary education, and 3 years (minimum) in tertiary education.
