Check if a Kenyan banknote is genuine (security features)
Central Bank of Kenya · sources read 4 Oct 2026
Feel, look and tilt: a genuine note has raised print you can feel (KENYA, value bars, edges), a lion's head watermark and a continuous security thread when held to light, and a thread that changes colour when tilted. CBK will not exchange a fake note for any value.
- Fee
- We couldn't confirm a fee from the official page. Check it there before you pay.
- Where
- Check the note yourself by hand and against light; CBK offices are in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nyeri, Nakuru, Meru and Kisii
Steps
- Feel: run your fingers over the note. You should feel the word KENYA, the value bars (50 = 1 bar, 100 = 2, 200 = 3, 500 = 4, 1000 = 5) and the edge.
- Look: hold it up to the light. From both sides you should see a perfect lion's head watermark with the text CBK and the note's value, and the security thread as one continuous line.
- Tilt: at an angle, the security thread changes colour and is specific to each note.
- Under ultraviolet (UV) light, the golden band shows the note's value.
Watch out
- A fake note has no value: CBK will not exchange counterfeit currency for anything.
- The 2024 notes look like the older ones but have new signatures, 'year of print 2024' and a different security thread for each value. Both series are legal and circulate together.
- The old-generation 1,000-shilling note (before 2019) was withdrawn and is no longer money.
Who can apply
- Anyone handling Kenyan cash. CBK asks the public to learn the security features to tell genuine notes from fakes.
Official sources (2)
- Currency Services centralbank.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- 2024 Kenya Notes Edition centralbank.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026