How to Spot Fake Kenyan Banknotes: CBK’s Feel, Look and Tilt Checks

Updated 26 October 2026

You can check a Kenyan banknote in a few seconds with the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) three-step method: Feel, Look and Tilt. A genuine note has raised print you can feel, a lion’s head watermark and a continuous security thread when held to the light, and a thread that changes colour from red to green when tilted. If a note fails any of these checks, do not accept it.

Fake notes tend to turn up in busy, rushed transactions: at night, in crowded markets, at fuel stations and in cash deals for phones, cars or land. This guide walks through each security feature on the current notes, explains what changed with the 2024 series and tells you what to do if you are handed a fake.

Which Kenyan Notes Are in Circulation

CBK issues banknotes of KSh 50, KSh 100, KSh 200, KSh 500 and KSh 1,000, and coins of 50 cents, KSh 1, KSh 5, KSh 10, KSh 20 and KSh 40. The new generation notes were launched on June 1, 2019. They show the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) and a dove on the front, and a theme on the back:

The old generation KSh 1,000 note with a portrait was withdrawn through a Gazette notice issued on May 31, 2019, and is no longer legal tender. Anyone offering you one is offering you worthless paper.

Step 1: Feel (Gusa)

Run your fingers over the note. Genuine notes are printed with raised ink you can feel, which a home or office printer cannot reproduce.

• Feel KENYA: the word KENYA is raised.
• Feel the value: the denomination figure is raised.
• Feel the edge: raised bars along the edge tell you the value even without looking. The KSh 50 has 1 bar, KSh 100 has 2, KSh 200 has 3, KSh 500 has 4 and KSh 1,000 has 5. These marks were added partly to help visually impaired people.

Paper matters too. Genuine notes feel crisp and firm. A note that feels waxy, smooth, limp or unusually thick deserves a closer look.

Step 2: Look (Tazama)

Hold the note up to the light and look at it from both sides.

• Watermark: you should see a perfect lion’s head, the letters CBK and the value of the note. On a fake, the watermark is often missing, blurred, or printed on the surface so you can see it without holding it up to the light.
• Security thread: it should appear as one continuous line when held to the light. On many fakes the thread is a printed grey line or a strip of foil glued on, which may look broken or peel at the edges.

Step 3: Tilt (Pindua)

Tilt the note at an angle.

• Colour-changing thread: on every note the security thread changes from red to green. On the KSh 200, KSh 500 and KSh 1,000 you will also see rainbow colours on the thread.
• Golden band: the band on the back of the note shows the value of the note. CBK’s 2024 poster says it is visible under ultraviolet (UV) light, which is how cashiers’ UV lamps pick up fakes.

What Changed With the 2024 Notes

In 2024 CBK released an updated series that circulates alongside the 2019 notes. Both are legal tender. According to CBK, the changes are:

• New signatures for the Governor and the second signatory, labelled Member on the notes.
• The year of print shown as 2024.
• A security thread designed for each denomination, which changes colour when tilted.

So if you receive two KSh 1,000 notes that look slightly different, check the year of print before assuming one is fake. Apply the Feel, Look and Tilt checks to both.

Quick Checklist Before You Accept Cash

1. Feel for raised print on KENYA, the value and the edge bars.
2. Hold it to the light: lion’s head, CBK and the value in the watermark, and a continuous thread.
3. Tilt it: thread changes red to green (and rainbow colours on KSh 200 and above).
4. Compare it with a note you know is genuine, especially the colour and size.
5. Check that the serial numbers on a bundle are not all identical.

For large cash deals, the safest option is not to use cash at all. Ask for a bank transfer or a bank-to-M-Pesa payment, or meet at a bank where the teller can verify the notes.

What to Do If You Receive a Fake Note

• Do not pass it on. Knowingly spending counterfeit money is a crime under the Penal Code, which CBK quotes on its Currency Services page. For example, section 373 sets up to three years in prison for repeatedly uttering counterfeit coin, and section 365 makes the making of counterfeit coin a felony punishable by life imprisonment.
• Report it. Take it to the nearest police station or your bank. Under section 370 of the Penal Code, bank managers and government officers who receive suspected counterfeit coin must impound it and send it to the CBK Governor.
• Expect no refund. CBK says no counterfeit currency will be exchanged for any value. That is why checking before you accept a note matters.
• Note the details. Write down when, where and from whom you received it. This helps the police.

Damaged Notes Are Different

A torn, burnt or ink-stained note is not a fake, and you can usually get it replaced at a commercial bank or a CBK office. CBK sets four conditions: the note must not have been deliberately damaged, it must be genuine, more than half of it must remain in one continuous piece, and it must show at least one complete serial number. Deliberately defacing or tearing a note is itself an offence, with a fine of up to KSh 2,000, up to three months in prison, or both. CBK has branches in Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret and currency centres in Nyeri, Nakuru, Meru and Kisii; see CBK branches and contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a KSh 1,000 note is fake?

Feel for the five raised edge bars and raised KENYA, hold it up to see the lion’s head watermark and a continuous thread, then tilt it to see the thread change from red to green with rainbow colours.

Are the old KSh 1,000 notes still valid?

No. The old generation KSh 1,000 note was withdrawn by a Gazette notice dated May 31, 2019.

Are the 2024 notes and the 2019 notes both legal?

Yes. CBK says the 2024 notes circulate alongside the earlier new generation notes.

Will the bank refund me for a fake note?

No. Counterfeit notes are impounded and are not exchanged for any value.

Can I exchange a torn note?

Yes, if it is genuine, not deliberately damaged, more than half remains in one piece and at least one full serial number is visible.

Related reading: why Kenya writes KSh before amounts, and our guide to withdrawing cash at an M-Pesa agent.

Security features checked against the Central Bank of Kenya’s new generation banknotes pamphlet (2019) and its 2024 updated banknote series poster, both published on centralbank.go.ke; damaged-note rules and Penal Code sections from the CBK Currency Services page, checked on October 26, 2026.