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5 Rupees
| Issuer | Government of the East Africa Protectorate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1918 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Dark olive-green intaglio-printed note with the bold heading THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE arched across the top within an ornate guilloche border. The central vignette carries the denomination numeral 5 in large block form flanked by the value inscription FIVE RUPEES, below which the denomination is repeated in Arabic, Swahili Arabic script, and Gujarati script. The issue place and date MOMBASA appear at lower left, with a manuscript signature to the right above the legend FOR THE CURRENCY COMMISSIONERS, and serial numbers printed in red at upper left and right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE PROMISES TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND THE SUM OF FIVE RUPEES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE |
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| Comments |
The Government of the East Africa Protectorate issued this note during a period of acute monetary stress — the East Africa campaign against German forces had severely disrupted trade and the supply of coin, forcing a rapid expansion of emergency paper currency. Thomas De La Rue printed the series in London, though wartime shipping conditions meant that getting printed stock to Mombasa was neither routine nor guaranteed.
The Protectorate itself ceased to exist in 1920 when it became the Colony of Kenya, making this series among the final currency issues under that administrative designation. P#2 notes that actually circulated show characteristic equatorial humidity damage to the paper.