2024 Kenya New Currency Banknotes Series

In August 2024, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) released an updated series of banknotes heralding a new dispensation of secure currencies. The banknotes release was made through public announcements and Press Releases dated August 6 and November 20, 2024.

The full series of the new release banknotes consists of KES 1,000, KES 500, KES 200, KES 100 and KES 50 banknotes and have been signed by the CBK Governor and the Principal Secretary (PS) to the National Treasury, as a Member of the CBK Board. With a diverse spectrum of colour and theme, the secure banknotes take centre stage as a key payment instrument not only for Kenya but also the greater East African region. The importance of the Kenya shilling is associated to the country’s economy being the largest in the East Africa and Nairobi, its capital city, known as a robust hub for financial services across the African continent.

The banknotes release continues to adhere with the constitutional requirements bestowed on CBK to issue adequate and secure currency in the economy. In fulfilling this mandate, CBK took steps to guarantee the supply of banknotes by procuring an updated banknotes series. Giesecke + Devrient (G+D) Currency Technology GmbH have been CBK’s valuable partner in this project as they successfully undertook the printing of this series.

In recognition of banknote excellence, CBK’s new series was on February 4, 2025 awarded the Best Banknote Series at the concluded High Security Printing – Europe Middle East and Africa (HSP-MEA) Conference.

Currency Operations Department

The Currency Operations Department is the functional arm of the Central Bank of Kenya that is tasked with the issuance of currency banknotes and coins, a constitutional mandate of the CBK.

Central Bank of Kenya

This Project was curated to deliver banknotes within a short timeframe. Together with our supply partners, G+D, the Project achieved delivery in less than 6 months, heralding a new dispensation of secure banknotes.

Owing to the tight timelines and technicality of this Project, the Bank had to form a closed working group led by the Director of Currency. There were also procurement and legal experts required to ensure that procedure was followed. With the overall leadership of the Governor and Deputy Governor, the Project could only progress to a successful conclusion.

Of critical importance during the Project was the selection of security features that would blend into the banknotes. Use of colour blending effect from Louisenthal’s RollingStar® i+ thread therefore reflected significant progress in enhancing security of the banknotes without losing the aesthetic appeal. The Project also realised the need to customise certain terminologies to ensure the public will eventually be comfortable with them. The use of terminologies like ZigZag formed part of the customisation effect for public acceptance of the banknotes.

The Project not only focused on the banknote delivery but also post-delivery elements like publicity. Use of press releases, posters, digital platforms, engagement of partners and other stakeholders therefore came in handy as a key point of information dissemination. Ultimately, the Project was able to timely deliver a new series of banknotes that are secure yet simple to identify and use, a key element in usability of banknotes by the public and deterrent factor against counterfeiting.

Central Bank of Kenya as the Issuing Authority and Giesecke + Devrient Currency Technologies GmbH as the Banknotes Supplier.

This series embraces unique and innovative technology in security. New usage of colour blending effect from Louisenthal’s RollingStar® i+ thread on each of the denominations, recognised for their combination of brilliant dynamics and colourshift, reflects significant progress in enhancing security of the banknotes without losing aesthetic appeal.

The three higher denominations, KES 1000 , KES 500 and KES 200, utilise the ZigZag dynamic movement effect while the two lower denominations, KES 100 and KES 50, utilise the Crystal effect. Each of the denominations have a different colourshift effect.

The use of terminologies like ZigZag form part of the fabric for customisation and public acceptance of the banknotes on account of cultural differentiations. This uniqueness ensures that the public are easily accustomed to relatable terms when public education drive takes place.

The banknotes use Ultraviolet (UV) illuminating iridescent bands on the reverse while dual colour fluorescence for secondary level authentication is maintained.

To tell the Kenyan story, the obverse of all the banknotes features the Kenyatta International Convention Centre monument. This monument happens to be a well-known landmark for both Kenyans and non-Kenyans, bringing in the element of familiarity on the currencies.

The beautiful skyline of Nairobi, shield and dove are common across the denominations. Each of the five banknotes carries an image of a Big Five, a true testament of Kenya’s love for its wildlife.

The reverse of each of the banknotes bears unique themes.

1. KES 1,000 – Governance depicted by an image of Kenya’s Parliament
2. KES 500 – Tourism depicted with National Parks, sandy beaches and motifs of Simba (Lion).
3. KES 200 – Social Services, recognising the importance of Medical Services, Education and Athletics Kenya’s glory for years.
4. KES 100 – Agriculture depicted using Maize, Tea and Livestock.
5. KES 50 – Green Energy solutions like Wind, Geothermal and Solar power.

Integration of security features into the banknotes plays a crucial role in protecting the currency from counterfeiting. The technicality of the security features does not discard the element of simplicity for public understanding. A layered approach to security through use of physical (raised printing), visual (thread effects) and chemical features (inks and markers) is adopted.

With specific emphasis on the security threads, the denominations have different colour shift effects achieved through the RollingStar® i+, recognised for their combination of brilliant dynamics and striking colourshift. The thread colour changes were selected to blend into the colour theme of the banknote, effectively resulting in five different but similar security threads.

The security threads are described as follows.
KES 1000 – Brown banknote – Magenta to Green
KES 500 – Green banknote – Green to Azure
KES 200 – Blue banknote – Blue to Violet
KES 100 – Purple banknote – Gold to Green
KES 50 – Pink banknote – Magenta to Green

Kenya’s banknotes have placed emphasis on aesthetic appeal without loss of security. Size, colour and art creates appeal owing to compact form, beauty and relatable themes. Vibrancy in colour scheme is chosen to create visual appeal and distinction between denominations. Each banknote has unique hues, easy to identify while maintaining harmony. The imagery on the banknotes fusion Kenya’s modern aspirations with its traditional and historical values. Use of the Big Five wildlife on each of the banknotes, not only showcases the country’s wildlife but also enables the public to ascribe new street names to them e.g. KES 1,000 banknote now commonly referred to as ndovu (Swahili for elephant). Each of the denominations is themed to represent different aspects of Kenya such as agriculture, technology and culture, reflecting Kenya’s heritage and splendour, ethos, and aspirations. In doing so, the artistic depictions give the public a chance to fully embrace the banknotes.

Banknote Denomination/s and Date of Issue

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