This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On September 10, 1973, the late Jomo Kenyatta officially opened the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), and the following day, Vice President Daniel arap Moi unveiled the statue of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, which is approximately 80 metres away from the KICC tower.
Activist Okiya Omtata has filed a petition in the High Court against the inclusion of Kenyatta's statue on the new generation currency notes, citing Article 231(4) of the 2010 Constitution, which prohibits the use of individual portraits in currency notes and coins.
According to the Constitution, "Notes and coins issued by the Central Bank of Kenya may bear images that depict or symbolize Kenya or an aspect of Kenya but shall not bear the portrait of any individual."
However, the Central Bank of Kenya and the attorney general have argued that the statue is part of the KICC complex and therefore exempt from the constitutional provision.
The judges will deliver their ruling on September 27, 2019.
