This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
On September 27, 2019, the High Court in Kenya dismissed a case by activist Okiya Omtatah and MP Simon Mbugua, challenging the new banknotes.
Justices Kanyi Kimondo and Arsenath Ongeri ruled that the petition lacked merit, with Justice Anthony Mrima dissenting in his opinion.
The court found that the portrait of Mzee Kenyatta in the new generation currency notes is part of the Kenya International Conference Centre (KICC), despite being larger than the building itself.
Regarding the images on the back of some notes, the judges said they were unidentifiable individuals and therefore did not offend the constitution.
The court also ruled that the Central Bank of Kenya had reasonably involved the public in the process and that the four-month notice period was sufficient.
