On Wednesday, April 12, Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai put ICT Chief Administrative Secretary Dennis Itumbi on the spot over an alleged different coat of arms on documents on the eCitizen portal.
Through a statement, the politician questioned whether Itumbi was aware of the changes and when they were implemented.
"Have you realised that they have the wrong coat of arms on the eCitizen-generated receipts and documents?
The tongue of the lion should not be out" he posed.
The photo elicited debate among Kenyans with many questioning why the lion's tongues were hanging out.
Some went on to claim that it was one of the changes introduced by the new regime with some lamenting that the online platform had been unavailable for months.
However, some were quick to note that the alleged document had typos and may not be from the official eCitizen portal.
In the shared document by the MCA, the word reference was spelled as refenrence. One of the indicators Kenyans used to gauge the authenticity of the lawmakers' claim.
Furthermore, Kenyans.co.ke accessed the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) online platform to verify the claims.
Kenyans.co.ke established that documents from the site did not have the alleged coat of arms with the lion's tongue hanging out.
Furthermore, other government institutions including Ministries and the Office of the President did not have a coat of arms where the lions' tongues were hanging out.
Notably, the coat of arms is one of Kenya's national symbols including the flag, the public seal, and the national anthem.
The coat of arms has two gold lions, one on either side of a shield with two crossed spears, a rooster holding an axe, the national motto 'Harambee', Mt Kenya as the background, and farm products like coffee, pyrethrum, sisal, tea, maize and pineapples in the foreground.
The lions symbolise the country's wildlife and the courage of Kenyans to defend their country, the shield stands for unity and defense for freedom, the rooster shows authority, the will to work, success, and the break of a new dawn, and the motto stands for the spirit of cooperation.
