December 12, 2019, marks Kenya's 56th birthday since independence.
As the country celebrates and reflects on its achievements and areas that require improvement going forward, here are six milestones Kenya made.
1) Competency Based Curriculum.
The new curriculum which was rolled out in January 2019 is designed to emphasize the significance of developing skills and knowledge and also applying those competencies in real-life situations.
The issue of unemployment of young people in Kenya over the years, led to the big change by the Ministry of Education, through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in a bid to shield the younger generation of scholars from future hardships and equip them with the necessary skills.
2) New Currency Notes
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) unveiled the new banknotes during the 56th Madaraka Day celebrations held in Narok County.
Governor Patrick Njoroge unveiled the new notes, whose designs he said met constitutional requirements and captured public aspirations.
The notes have been flowing through the market smoothly and citizens seem to have already adapted to the new notes which are smaller and lighter than the previous ones.
3)The National Population and Housing Census 2019 and Huduma Namba
The National Population and Housing Census 2019 that cost Kenya a whooping Ksh18.5 billion was carried out in August 2019 and revealed that the population currently stands at 47.6million.
According to the report, the most populous counties are the capital, Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kakamega, Bungoma, Meru and Kilifi. It also revealed that women were more than men by about 600,000. The population grew from 37.7 million in 2009.
The Huduma Namba registration exercise was also launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on April 12, 2019.
Speaking during the official launch of the exercise at Masii Public Grounds in Machakos County, Uhuru stressed the importance of getting a Huduma Namba.
The president stated that the program would provide a digital national population register to serve as a single source of truth of personal data on all Kenyans and foreign nationals who reside in the country.
4) Lake Turkana Wind Power Station
Turkana County received a significant boost after the Lake Turkana Wind Power Station, commissioned in January 2017, was completed two years later on July 19, 2019. It has been termed as the single largest private investment in Kenya’s history.
The Lake Turkana Wind Power Station consists of 365 turbines with a capacity to dispense 310 megawatts of reliable, low-cost energy to Kenya’s national grid.
The ceremony for the inauguration of the wind farm and the commissioning of the 438km Loiyangalani-Suswa transmission line, which connects the wind farm to the national grid, was held at Loiyangalani Sub-county, Marsabit County.
5) The Last National Memorial For Kenya's Founding Father - Jomo Kenyatta
President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that Jomo Kenyatta's memorial service would no longer be a national affair.
He explained that the family had decided to mark it privately during the 41st memorial service on the August 22, at the Holy Family Basilica, Nairobi.
The event, marked annually, involves laying a wreath at Kenyatta's Mausoleum in Parliament’s precincts. It is then followed by a memorial service at a church, often in Nairobi.
The founding father's home was also announced as a national museum according to the Kenya Gazette notice numbers 11053 and 11054 of 2019, published on November 22, 2019.
6) Eliud Kipchoge INEOS 1.59 Challenge
Athlete Eliud Kipchoge shined the spotlight on athletes in Kenya on October 12, 2019, after he smashed the elusive sub-two-hour marathon feat.
He completed the INEOS 1.59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds.
Eliud Kipchoge held a sub-4:34 pace over 26.2 miles, making him the fastest man ever to run that distance.
Kipchoge equated his achievement to the world's first moon landing.
