Kampala – Some Ugandans have recently taken politics to another distinct level.
A number of bank notes have in recent weeks went viral on social media with political inscriptions, among them names of prominent politicians like Dr Kizza Besigye, Bobi Wine and President Museveni written on them.
This latest development caught the attention of Bank of Uganda, who in its public statement dated 10th December, 2019, warned the general public against its use.
“Bank of Uganda [BoU] is by law the only authority that can issue currency in Uganda and that includes the power to determine the features that can appear on any currency notes or coin,” Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile [Prof.], governor Bank of Uganda said in his strong letter to the public.
He added: “The bank has noted with concern the several social media postings circulating images of Uganda currency notes with hand written political campaign messages. This is to advise members of the public that stamping, writing and or marking on currency notes interferes with the security features that are useful in establishing the authenticity of the genuine currency notes. Stamping, writing or marking on bank notes or coins also amounts to defacing which exposes the holder of such a note or coin to the risk of loss of its value.”
“The public is, therefore, strongly warned against the sue of currency notes for any other purposes other than for making or receiving payment[s] and the public is also advised to accept only those notes that bear features as designed by Bank of Uganda.”
Full statement:
