Update: Hours after publishing this story, the US Embassy updated its systems to enable transacting in the new generation banknotes.
"After coordination with the Central Bank of Kenya, the US Embassy has been provided with the equipment upgrades and training necessary to accept the new Kenyan currency. We now accept the new currency as well as the legacy currency valid until October 1, 2019. You may also continue to pay for services by credit card," the embassy posted online.
The US Embassy in Nairobi is yet to start accepting the new generation notes as it explained in a statement to the public seeking its services.
Visa applicants in Kenya have therefore been asked to keep using the old Kenyan currency until further notice.
They explained that the embassy was working on a system that would allow them to accept the new generation currencies.
“The Embassy of the United States is currently developing procedures to accept the new Kenyan shillings,” a statement from the embassy partially read.
“Until these procedures are in place, consular applicants will only be able to pay for services using the previous Kenyan shillings,” the embassy further stated.
The statement also advised the applicants of the crucial document to also consider paying using credit cards.
The new generation bank notes were launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta during the 56th Madaraka Day celebrations in Narok on June 1, 2019.
The new currency notes are in Ksh50, Ksh100, Ksh200, Ksh500 and Ksh1,000 denominations.
During the launch, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Prof Patrick Njoroge announced that the Ksh50, Ksh100, Ksh200 and Ksh500 notes will be phased out slowly but the Ksh1,000 note will be phased by the end of October.
According to the CBK Governor, the immediate phase-out of the Ksh1,000 note was to help the government in dealing with cases of counterfeits, which has impacted the economy negatively.
