Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Patrick Ngugi Njoroge is a walking a tightrope after it emerged that the institution flaunted the legal procedures during the unveiling of the new currency.
Parliament has now put the boss to the task to explain the reason behind the move as the dateline for the usage of the old notes draws closer.
National Assembly has confirmed that Central Bank of Kenya did not follow due process when launching the new currency, which has made millions of Kenyans raise endless concerns.
A letter dated June 27, 2019, from the Clerk of the National Assembly Michael Sialai, which had been addressed to activist Okiya Omtata shows that some steps were ignored when CBK unveiled the new currency. Omtata has moved to court to challenge the decision of the CBK to launch the currency.
“From our records i.e. Hansard reports, votes and proceedings and register of statutory instruments as set out in section 11(3) of the statutory instruments Act, we wish to confirm that the legal Notice No.235 of 7th December 2018, Legal notice No.72 of 31st May 2019 and legal notice No 4849 of 31st May 2019 are yet to be transmitted to us to register and cause tabling in the National Assembly,” it reads in part, as quoted by Citizen Digital.
The letter shows that the new notes were not presented in parliament within the seven days stipulated in the laws of the country before their launch. It remains unclear how the matter will be handled after the CBK released the new notes to the general public.