Nelson Amenya, popularly known for exposing the Adani-JKIA deal, has dropped another bombshell, this time about an alleged clandestine redesign of the Kenyan currency barely a year after the upgrade of security features on the money.
Taking to X on Monday, June 2, Amenya claimed that the government had changed the design of the currency and had already embarked on mass printing of the new currency in Germany without informing the public.
"The Government of Kenya has quietly changed the design of our currency and is now printing it in Germany without any public disclosure or participation," Amenya claimed.
Notably, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor, Dr Kamau Thugge, had revealed in August 2024 that the government had contracted a German firm to print its currency, without revealing its identity.
"The printing is being done by a German firm, and it is actually one of the best firms," the governor stated in a press briefing.
In his explanation, Kamau had stated that it was a routine process by CBK and that old notes that were getting worn out needed to be replaced.
Although Kenya has since changed the currency design before in 2019 and an updated version in 2024, no details of a design change have been made public since.
In his post, Amenya further alleged that Kenya had gone against its contract with Nairobi's De La Rue that prohibits the Kenyan currency from being printed by other printing companies.
According to Amenya, breaching this contract could cost Kenya a lot more. He also alleged that the deal was a token to Raila Odinga for joining the broad-based government.
"But that’s not even the worst part. In doing so, they breached a non-compete clause in the existing contract with De La Rue, a move that could cost taxpayers billions, just like the Arror and Kimwarer dam scandal. Reports indicate it was a contract awarded to Raila Odinga for his handshake with Ruto," he stated.
However, De La Rue made headlines in 2023 for spending approximately Ksh2.7 billion to scale down its operations by paying lawyers, firing its staff and writing off its assets.
The printing firm, which employed about 300 people at the time, exited a joint venture with the Kenyan government, which owned 40 per cent of the joint agreement, citing low demand for banknote printing and other security products.
Earlier in 2018, the High Court had allowed CBK to open tender bids for the printing of the new Kenyan currency, rejecting an application by De La Rue Security Printing firm and another interested printing company that sought to prevent the CBK from opening the tender documents.
The government last year took away the money printing deal from De La Rue and handed it to the German company Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology GmbH (G+D).
Amenya's claims follow CBK's disclosures to Parliament, revealing that the government has since begun printing the money in Germany. However, CBK is yet to comment on the new revelations.
