Why Joseph Kinyua's Signature Was On the Old Ksh1000 Note

  • By Washington Mito on 15 October 2022 - 5:17 pm
    A collage image of an old Ksh1000 bank note signed by outgoing Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua (right) and the government officials addressing the media at a past event (right).
    A collage image of an old Ksh1000 bank note signed by outgoing Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua (right) and the government officials addressing the media at a past event (right).
    Twitter
    The standard

  • Outgoing Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua's signature on the old Ksh1000 note elicited debate among Kenyans.

    The debate over Kinyua's signature emerged a day after he signed off a statement announcing the appointment of State House officials.

    A section of online users questioned why his signature was on the bank note along with that of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) governor.

    Kinyua signed the note as a member of the CBK board of directors, as indicated in the bills. 

    Kenyan Currency notes.
    Kenyan currency notes.
    File

    According to the CBK Act Cap 491, banknotes contain the signature of the CBK governor alongside that of an authorised board member.

    Kinyua also represented the Treasury as its principal secretary (PS) under then Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Uhuru Kenyatta. 

    "The Governor shall be the principal representative of the Bank and shall, in that capacity have authority to sign individually or jointly with other persons contracts concluded by the Bank, notes and securities issued by the Bank, reports, balance sheets, and other financial statements, correspondence and other documents of the Bank," reads the act in part.

    This explains the reason why Kinyua's signature was next to that of former CBK governor and President William Ruto's Treasury Cabinet Secretary nominee Njuguna Ndung’u.

    CBK's board consists of a chairperson who is the governor, the principal secretary to the Treasury or his representative, who shall be a non-voting member and eight other non-executive directors. 

    The new banknotes rolled out in 2019 also have the signature of the current CBK governor Patrick Njoroge and that of a board member.

    Features of these notes include pictures of national landmarks, animals, and other key symbols of the country, including the image of a statue of the first president, Jomo Kenyatta and the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC).

    A dove on the money symbolises a peaceful Kenya. Visually impaired persons can easily identify the notes by running their fingers over them. This aspect is also used to ascertain the legality of the note. 

    Upon reflecting the note on a light source, a watermark of a perfect lion’s head, the text CBK and the banknote's value are visible.

    Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) building in Nairobi.
    A file image of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) building in Nairobi.
    Simon Kiragu
    Kenyans.co.ke