The unit of currency for Kenya is the Kenyan Shilling (KES or Ksh) = 100 cents. Coins are in denominations of KES50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Notes are in denominations of KES1,000, 500, 200, 100 and 50.
A customs declaration needs to be made if bringing in more than 5,000 US Dollars or KES 100,000. The mutilation of Kenyan currency notes is illegal.
Currency can be exchanged at all the major banks, authorised hotels or the numerous bureaux de changes. There is a 24-hour exchange service at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Moi International Airport banks. US Dollars, Pounds Sterling and Euros are the easiest currencies to exchange.
These can be changed at banks, and are widely accepted. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.
All the major credit cards - American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa - are now widely accepted. Major hotels now also accept payment by credit card, as do major safari companies, travel agencies and restaurants. There are over 140 ATMs of which Barclays has 82 of them, operating from 69 banks across the country.
Mon-Fri 0900-1500; 0900-1100 on the first and last Saturday of each month. International and national banks have branches in Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisumu, Thika, Eldoret, Kericho, Nyeri and in most other major towns. Its worth noting that banks in Mombasa and the coastal areas have different operating hours, opening and closing half an hour earlier. The international airports have banks and bureaux de changes that open 24 hours every day.
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