This archive report was first published on 1 July 2021.
July 1, 2021 - The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has been in circulation for about two years, and despite concerns over their life-span, the bank's governor, Patrick Njoroge, has defended their quality.
Speaking before the National Assembly Finance and National Planning Committee, Governor Njoroge highlighted the new notes' advanced security features, varnish to reduce tear and wear, and features to support identification by visually impaired persons.
"It's no question the new bank notes are technically superior to Kenya's old notes," he said.
However, Governor Njoroge acknowledged that the lower denominational Ksh.50 and Ksh.100 notes face a greater battering and ultimately a higher rate of quality deterioration, blaming the matter on the notes' high circulation and significant mishandling.
The CBK estimates the life-span of new notes at a mean one year, in contrast to 6-9 months for the older banknotes.
The new bank notes were introduced in June 2019, with the older Ksh.1000 note being replaced entirely through demonetization.
