This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On Thursday, a three-judge bench from the High Court visited the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) to clarify the status of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's statue in relation to the iconic building.
Justices Kanyi Kimondo, Anthony Mrima, and Arsenath Ongeri toured the site to assess whether the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) was correct in including the statue on the new banknotes, as per a case filed by activist Okiya Omtatah.
According to Article 231 (4) of the Constitution, Kenyan currency banknotes should not bear the portrait of any individual. Omtatah cited this article in his case, arguing that the inclusion of Mzee Kenyatta's statue on the new notes was a violation of this provision.
On September 10, 1973, the late President Jomo Kenyatta officially opened the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The next day, then-Vice President Daniel arap Moi unveiled the statue of Mzee Kenyatta, which is located approximately 80 metres away from the tower.
The Central Bank of Kenya and the Attorney General argued that the statue is an integral part of the KICC and that there was no issue with including the building's image on the new banknotes.
"The two features can't be separated. They are one and the same. It is a statue and not a portrait and they stand on the same land number," said the Central Bank of Kenya in response to the allegations.
The judges will deliver their decision on September 27.
