DESIGNA MAGAZINE DESIGNA ISSUE III 2019 2 | Page 34

Is our government
Re branding the
Kenyan Currency
A Design
Concept for
New Kenyan
Currency
recently
Evoked
Confusion
and
Excitement in
Equal
Measure
When Activist Okiya Omtata petitioned the
courts giving the Central Bank Of Kenya
seven days to remove the image of Jomo
Kenyatta from Kenya's Currency saying that it
is against the constitution.
Mr Okiya Omtatah said that the constitution
prohibits the use of portraits or images of
individuals on currency. It states notes and coins
should only bear images that depict or symbolise
an aspect of Kenya. In a letter dated 14th
September, the activist told the CBK governor
Patrick Njoroge that he has seven days to take
down all unconstitutional currency.
The activist said that failure to do such would
force them to take legal action against the Central
Bank at the banks own cost. The Central Bank
governor had last year said that the change in
currency will cost the Kenya Ksh.18 billion to roll
out a new currency and they had a deadline of this
month to start the process after failing to beat the
2015 deadline.
According to Kenya's new constitution, as from
2010, Kenya's legal tender cannot bear the images
of individuals, be it founding fathers or former
presidents. Since then, Kenyans have been eagerly
waiting to see the newly redesigned shilling notes
but it has not yet happened, due to unknown
circumstances.
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D E S I G N A
| May
-
June 2019