Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen now wants the constitution to be amended to allow portraits of heroes and heroines.
Last week, Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge, whose tenure was extended by President Uhuru Kenyatta for another four years on Thursday, unveiled new currencies which are supposed to adhere to the constitution.
But activist Okiya Omtatah moved to court on pretext that the new notes had a portrait of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. There was also a discussion on social media that some notes have portraits of Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i.
"It violates the law, and therefore, the new banknotes are null and void. They have no effect in law and must be rejected," the activist said, adding that he will move to court to overturn the new notes' directive," said Omtatah.
On Thursday, Murkomen said that article 231 (4) should be amended to allow new currencies to have portraits of heroines and heroes arguing that the article was informed by alleged bad reputation of former President Daniel Moi.
"We should amend Art.231(4) of our Constitution to allow our currencies to carry the portraits of our heroes&heroines the way other great nations have done.The current provision was out of knee jerk reaction to Moi’s reign.The folly of making law with an individual in mind," he said.
Central Bank of Kenya has declared October 1st as the deadline for the members of the public to return all Sh1,000 notes after which they will not be legal tenders.