|
Costs, money and banks
|
|
|
Kenya's currency, the Kenyan shilling (Ksh), is a colonial legacy based on the old British currency. People often talk in "bob", meaning shillings, and occasionally in "pounds", meaning Ksh20 (you'll also hear "quids" for pounds). There are Ksh1000, 500, 200, 100 and 50 notes, and coins of Ksh20, 10, 5, 1, 50 cents (half a shilling), 20 cents, 10 cents and 5 cents, though in practice you will rarely come across coins of less than Ksh1. Some foreign banks stock shillings should you wish to buy some before you leave, but at rates about ten percent less than what you might find in Kenya.
At the time of writing, the rates of exchange were approximately Ksh110: A?1 and Ksh78: $1. Street money changers in Nairobi and Mombasa may offer slightly higher rates, but the black market is illegal, and most of them (certainly in Nairobi) are just muggers aiming to lure you into a dark alley and rob you, so you are very strongly advised not to change money on the street Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Kenya,
|