Valentine: Kenya Central Bank bans use of banknotes for cash bouquets

Kenya’s central bank has warned members of the public against using banknotes to create decorative cash bouquets.

The country’s apex bank declared that the practice amounts to defacing the national currency and could attract severe penalties.

In a Monday statement sighted on its official X handle on Tuesday, CBK said individuals involved in the trend risk up to seven years in prison if arrested and convicted under existing laws governing the use of the Kenyan currency.

The cash bouquet trend, which has gained popularity in recent years, involves rolling banknotes of different denominations and colours and fastening them together to resemble flower arrangements.

The decorations are often exchanged as gifts during celebrations, particularly in the run-up to Valentine’s Day, and have been promoted widely by celebrities and social media influencers.

According to the CBK, the process of folding, rolling, glueing, stapling, or pinning banknotes compromises their integrity and damages the currency.

“The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has noted a growing trend in the use of Kenyan shilling banknotes for decorative and celebratory purposes, including the preparation of cash flower bouquets, ornamental displays, and similar arrangements.

“In many stances, banknotes are folded, rolled, glued. taped. stapled, pinned, or otherwise affixed using adhesives and fastening materials. Such practices compromise the integrity of Kenyan shilling banknotes and render them unsuitable for circulation.

“The use of adhesives, pins, staples, and similar materials damages banknotes and interferes with the efficient operation of cash-handling and processing equipment, including automated teller machines (ATMs), cash counting machines, and sorting equipment,” the statement read.

The central bank added that the trend had led to an increase in rejected notes, resulting in unnecessary replacement costs for both the public and financial institutions.

It, however, clarified that “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.

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“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,” the CBK added.

Kenya is one of the world’s leading producers of flowers, and the announcement has been welcomed by some who argue that fresh floral bouquets are more appropriate Valentine’s Day gifts.

The warning has also sparked mixed reactions online, with some users expressing relief over what they described as an expensive and wasteful trend.

Valentine’s Day is marked annually on February 14.