Kenyan shilling
Shilingi ya Kenya · In circulation in Kenya
- ISO code
- KES
- Minor unit
- 100
- Notes
- 5
- Coins
- 4
- Issued by
- Central Bank of Kenya
Notes and coins in circulation
- 50
- 100
- 200
- 500
- 1,000
The Kenyan shilling’s largest current denomination is 1,000, worth about $7.73: the 30th least valuable top note among the 150 circulating currencies we have verified, where the median is $27.18.
Bars are scaled to face value on a log scale, not to physical size. Colours are the issuer’s own. Converted at mid-market reference rates; what a counter pays is always less.
| Notes | Colour | Security features |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | red | Lion's head and electrotype 50 |
| 100 | violet | Lion's head and electrotype 100 |
| 200 | blue | Lion's head and electrotype 200 |
| 500 | green | Lion's head and electrotype 500 |
| 1,000 | brown | Lion's head and electrotype 1000 |
| Coins | Colour | Security features |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | not recorded | not recorded |
| 5 | not recorded | not recorded |
| 10 | not recorded | not recorded |
| 20 | not recorded | not recorded |
Telling a real note from a fake
Security features are designed to be checked by hand in a few seconds, tilt it, feel it, hold it to the light. These are the features Central Bank of Kenya publishes for the Kenyan shilling.
- 50: Lion's head and electrotype 50
- 100: Lion's head and electrotype 100
- 200: Lion's head and electrotype 200
- 500: Lion's head and electrotype 500
- 1,000: Lion's head and electrotype 1000
What it is worth
| Currency | 1 KES = | 1 unit = |
|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.00773 USD | 129.44 KES |
| EUR | 0.00674 EUR | 148.48 KES |
| GBP | 0.00578 GBP | 173.10 KES |
| INR | 0.7407 INR | 1.35 KES |
Mid-market reference rates, snapshot 22 September 2026: indicative only. What you actually receive is always less. Work out the real cost →
Where it is used
- Kenya
Tools
What exchanging costs →
Paste the rate you were quoted and see the gap against mid-market.
Do I need to declare it? →
Both legs of any route: where you leave and where you arrive.
Is a torn note still valid? →
How much must survive, and who pays out.
Sources: last verified 22 September 2026 secondary sourced
- ISO 4217 currency list (SIX Group, the ISO 4217 registrar) · retrieved 22 September 2026 primary
- Kenyan shilling (Wikipedia) · retrieved 22 September 2026 secondary
- Unicode CLDR: currency display names and symbols · retrieved 22 September 2026 primary