Kenyans should expect to see a change in the fifty to one thousand shillings banknotes after the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) announced that it will be rolling out a new series of them.
“The Bank has made some changes to the denominations of one hundred shillings (Sh100), two hundred shillings (Sh200), five hundred shillings (Sh500), and one thousand shillings (Sh1,000) currency banknotes.” the Central Bank of Kenya noted in a statement.
The updated banknotes will feature several new elements, including:
- The signature of Governor Dr. Kamau Thugge.
- The signature of the National Treasury Principal Secretary Dr. Chris Kiptoo.
- The printed year (2024) clearly indicated.
- A security thread that changes color for each denomination.
It is important to note that the existing security features from the 2019 banknote series will be maintained. The CBK has confirmed that both the newly introduced and the existing banknotes will remain legal tender and will be in circulation together.
The rollout of the new banknotes starts with the one-thousand-shilling denomination, with plans to release lower denominations in the following months.
This initiative, approved under the constitutional mandate stated in Article 231(2) and specified in Section 22(2) of the CBK Act, covers denominations from fifty to one thousand shillings.
The current series of banknotes was launched by retired President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta during the 2019 Madaraka Day celebrations. Additionally, the new generation coins were introduced by Kenyatta and former CBK Governor Patrick Njoroge in December 2018.