The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has warned members of the public from sharing false information about the banking sector.
In a statement on Wednesday, November 13, CBK stated that the Banking sector is stable and adequately capitalized, urging customers to transact as usual.
"The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) is aware that malicious actors may attempt to circulate erroneous information online and other channels about the banking system. The banking sector in Kenya remains stable and resilient, and is adequately capitalised. All customers should continue transacting as normal," CBK said.
CBK also asked members of the public to disregard any information about the sector unless it has issued a communication itself.
"CBK has not issued any press release, or other information with regard to the operation of the banking sector or any other element of its mandate. We thus advise the public to disregard any such purported information," the regulator added.
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CBK stated that the circulation of false information is usually intended to cause panic, causing customers to take actions that destabilise the market.
The regulator warned that any individual responsible for circulating false information will be criminally charged under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
"The intent behind these malicious attempts is usually to induce panic, leading to action which may destabilise the market. We wish to emphasise that creating or circulating such information is in contravention of several laws including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, and will lead to criminal prosecutions," CBK concluded.
Notably, this comes barely three months after CBK announced four changes to the Kenyan currency banknotes.
In a statement on August 7, 2024, CBK noted that all notes will bear the signature of CBK Governor Dr. Kamau Thugge as well as the signature of National Treasury Principal Secretary Dr. Chris Kiptoo.
The notes will also bear the year of print which the bank stated is 2024 and they'll also have new security threads with colour-changing effects.
"The changes will affect the fifty shillings (KES 50), one hundred shillings (KES 100), two hundred shillings (KES 200), five hundred shillings (KES 500) and one thousand shillings (KES 1000) currency banknotes," CBK stated.
However, CBK noted that the rest of the features will remain the same and that the new banknotes will circulate alongside the older version banknotes currently in circulation.
"The rest of the features remain the same as those of the series issued in 2019. All banknotes currently in circulation remain legal tender and will circulate alongside the released banknotes," it stated.
