CBK issues new Kenyan BankNotes with Updated Security Features

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) is mandated to issue currency as conferred by Article 231 (2) of the Constitution of Kenya and Section 22 (2) of the Central Bank of Kenya Act.

In fulfilment of this mandate, the Bank has made some changes to the denominations of the Kenyan currency banknotes.

The changes affect the fifty shillings (KES 50), one hundred shillings (KES 100), two hundred shillings (KES 200), five hundred shillings (KES 500) and one thousand shillings (KES 1,000) currency banknotes.
The banknotes bear:
a. The signature of the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, Dr. Kamau Thugge,
b. The signature of the Principal Secretary, National Treasury, Dr. Chris Kiptoo,
c. The year of print – 2024, and
d. New security threads with colour changing effects that are specific to each denominationThe rest of the features remain the same as those of the series issued in 2019.

All banknotes currently in circulation remain legal tender and will circulate alongside the released banknotes. Release of the banknotes will commence with KES 1,000, while other denominations will progressively follow in the coming months.

In February 20222 Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)released a well-thought-out discussion paper detailing why it is important to officially launch digital currencies in Kenya.

In the document, CBKthen explained in detail how the new Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will be applied once it is rolled out in the country.

Digital currency, according to CBK, is a means of payment that exists purely in electronic form and can be exchanged for a pre-determined amount equivalent to the local currency.

Details of the bank notes are available on the Bank’s website www.centralbank.go.ke.