The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has cautioned against the use of Kenyan shilling banknotes for decorative purposes.
According to CBK, citizens have increasingly been using banknotes to create cash bouquets, ornamental displays, and other decorative arrangements, often folding, rolling, glueing, stapling, or pinning the notes.
“The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has noted a growing trend in the use of Kenya Shilling banknotes for decorative and celebratory purposes, including the preparation of cash flower bouquets, ornamental displays, and similar arrangements,” CBK said in a statement.
According to CBK, these actions damage banknotes and interfere with cash-handling equipment, including automated teller machines (ATMs), cash-counting machines, and sorting devices.
As a result, higher rejection rates during processing and unnecessary premature withdrawal and replacement of currency, causes avoidable costs to the public and the bank.
CBK also clarified that while the use of cash as a gift is permissible, it should not involve altering, defacing, or damaging banknotes.
“While CBK does not object to the use of cash as a gift, such use should not involve any action that alters, damages, or defaces banknotes. Currency should remain in a condition that allows it to circulate freely and perform its intended functions as a medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value”, CBK Futher noted.
