East African shilling

East African shilling
Shilingi ya Afrika Mashariki (Swahili); Scellino dell'Africa orientale (Italian); Shilinka Bariga Afrika (Somali); شلنق شرق أفريقي (Arabic);
Unit
Symbol	Sh or /-‎
Denominations
Superunit
20	pound (£)
Subunit
1⁄100	cent
Banknotes	5/-, 10/-, 20/-, 100/-, 200/-, 1000/-, 10,000/-
Coins	1 ct, 5 cts, 10 cts, 50 cts, 1/-
Demographics
User(s)	All in the 20th century: Kenya Colony ('21–'69); Tanganyika ('21–'64); Uganda (1962–1963) ('21–'66); Zanzibar ('36–'64); British Somaliland ('41–'62); Eritrea ('41–'52); Ethiopia ('41–'45); Italian Somaliland ('41–'50); Aden Protectorate ('51–'63); Colony of Aden ('51–'63); Federation of Arab Emirates of the South ('59–'63); Federation of South Arabia ('63–'65); Protectorate of South Arabia ('63–'65); Tanzania ('64–'69);
Issuance
Central bank	East African Currency Board
	This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

The East African shilling was the sterling unit of account in British-controlled areas of East Africa from 1921 until 1969.^[2] It was issued by the East African Currency Board. It is also the proposed name for a common currency that the East African Community plans to introduce.

The shilling was divided into 100 cents, and twenty shillings were 1 pound.

History

First East African shilling

Unlike elsewhere in the possessions of the British Empire that used the sterling, in British East Africa the shilling instead of the pound was the primary unit of account, with the pound being a superunit mainly used for recording government and business transactions whose totals would be needlessly large if quoted solely in shillings.

This anomalous state of affairs arose because the first currency used by the British colonial authorities in British East Africa was the rupee, not sterling. The East African shilling was introduced to Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda in 1921, replacing the short-lived East African florin at a rate of 2 shillings to 1 florin. The florin had been introduced because of increasing silver prices after World War I. At that time, the Indian rupee was the currency of the British East African states. The rupee, being a silver coin, rose in value against sterling. When it reached the value of two shillings, the authorities decided to replace it with the florin. From the florin thence came the East African shilling. The currency remained pegged to one shilling sterling and was subdivided into 100 cents.^[3]^[4]^[5] In 1936, Zanzibar joined the currency board, and the Zanzibari rupee was replaced at a rate of 1/50 to 1 Zanzibari rupee.^[4] It was replaced by local currencies (Kenyan shilling, Ugandan shilling, and Tanzanian shilling) following the territories' independence.^[3]^[4]^[5]

In 1951, the East African shilling replaced the Indian rupee in the Aden colony and protectorate, which became the South Arabian Federation in 1963. In 1965, the East African Currency Board was breaking up, and the South Arabian dinar replaced the shilling in the South Arabian Federation at a rate of 20 shillings to 1 dinar.^[2]^[6]

The shilling was also used in parts of what is now Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea when they were under British control. Before 1941, these areas, then known as Italian East Africa, used the Italian East African lira. In 1941, as a result of World War II, Britain regained control and introduced the shilling, at a rate of 1 shilling to 24 Lire. Italian Somaliland was returned to Italy in 1949 as a UN Trusteeship and soon switched to the somalo, which was at par with the shilling. British Somaliland gained independence in 1960, and joined what had been Italian Somaliland to create Somalia. In that year, Somalia began using the Somali shilling (replacing the Somali somalo) at par with the East African shilling.^[7]

Ethiopia regained independence in 1941, with British support, and began using the East African shilling. Maria Theresa thalers, Indian rupees, and Egyptian pounds were also legal tender at the beginning of this time, and it is unclear exactly when this status ended. Full sovereignty was restored in late 1944, and the Ethiopian dollar was reintroduced in 1945 at a rate of $1 = 2 shillings.^[8] Eritrea was captured from the Italians in 1941, and began using the East African shilling, as well as the Egyptian pound. The lira was demonetised in 1942. When Eritrea formed a federation with Ethiopia in 1952, the dollar, which was already in use in Ethiopia, was also adopted in Eritrea.^[9]

Second East African shilling

It has been rumoured that the East African Shilling will be revived by the East African Community, which consists of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Somalia, as part of the community's monetary union.^{[citation needed]} The monetary union's target date has been set to 2031 following delays caused in part due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and the admission of new member states, including the DRC and Somalia.^[10]

Coins

Issued during the reign of George V

Issued during the reign of George V
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Technical parameters		Description		Dates	Remarks
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Mass	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Dates	Remarks
[1]	1 cent	KM 22		Bronze	"GEORGIVS V", "REX ET IND:IMP:", crown, value	"EAST AFRICA", value, date	1922-1935	central hole
	5 cents	KM 18					1921-1936
	10 cents	KM 19					1921-1936
[2]	50 cents 1⁄2 shilling	KM 20	3.8879g	25% silver	"GEORGIVS V", "REX ET IND:IMP:", bust of George V	Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date	1921-1924
[3]	1 shilling	KM 21	7.7759g	25% silver	"GEORGIVS V", "REX ET IND:IMP:", bust of George V	Value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date	1921-1925
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

Issued during the reign of Edward VIII

Issued during the reign of Edward VIII
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Description		Dates	Remarks
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Dates	Remarks
[4]	5 cents	KM 23	Bronze	"EDWARDVS VIII", "REX ET IND:IMP:", crown, value	"EAST AFRICA", value, date	1936	Central hole
	10 cents	KM 24	Bronze	"EDWARDVS VIII", "REX ET IND:IMP:", crown, value	"EAST AFRICA", value, date	1936	Central hole
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

Issued during the reign of George VI

As GEORGIVS VI

Issued during the reign of George VI as GEORGIVS VI
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Technical parameters		Description		Dates	Remarks
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Mass	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Dates	Remarks
	1 cent	KM 29		Bronze	"GEORGIVS VI", "REX ET IND:IMP:", crown, value	"EAST AFRICA", value, date	1942	central hole
	5 cents	KM 25					1936	central hole
		KM 25.1					1937-1941	central hole, thick flan
[5]		KM 25.2					1941-1943	central hole, thin flan
		KM 25.3					1942	NO central hole, thin flan
	10 cents	KM 26.1					1937-1941	some with central hole, some without, thick flan
	10 cents	KM 26.2					1942-1945	central hole, thin flan
	50 cents 1⁄2 shilling	KM 27	3.8879g	25% silver	"GEORGIVS VI", "REX ET INDIÆ IMPERATOR", bust of George VI	Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date	1937-1944
	1 shilling	KM 28.1	7.7759g			Value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date	1937-1944	edge reeding spaced out
		KM 28.2					1941	rare, thicker rim, larger milling, minor design differences
		KM 28.3					1942-1943	retouched central image on reverse
		KM 28.4					1944-1946	same as KM 28.1 with edge reeding close
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

As GEORGIVS SEXTVS

Issued during the reign of George VI as GEORGIVS SEXTVS
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Description		Dates	Remarks
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Dates	Remarks
[6]	1 cent	KM 32	Bronze	"GEORGIVS SEXTVS REX", crown, value	"EAST AFRICA", value, date	1949-1952	central hole
[7]	5 cents	KM 33				1949-1952
	10 cents	KM 34				1949-1952
[8]	50 cents 1⁄2 shilling	KM 30	Cupronickel	"GEORGIVS SEXTVS REX", bust of George VI	Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date	1948-1952
[9]	1 shilling	KM 31	Cupronickel	"GEORGIVS SEXTVS REX", bust of George VI	Value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date	1948-1952
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

Issued during the reign of Elizabeth II

Issued during the reign of Elizabeth II
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Description		Dates	Remarks
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Dates	Remarks
[10]	1 cent	KM 35	Bronze	"QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND", crown, value	"EAST AFRICA", value, date	1954-1962	central hole
[11]	5 cents	KM 37				1955-1963
	10 cents	KM 38				1956-1964
[12]	50 cents 1⁄2 shilling	KM 36	Cupronickel	"QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND", bust of Elizabeth II	Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, year of minting	1954-1963
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

Issued after independence

Issued after independence
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Description		Dates	Remarks
Image	Value	Catalogue number	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Dates	Remarks
[13]	5 cents	KM 39	Bronze	"SENTI TANO", 5, "FIVE CENTS", "EAST AFRICA"	"EAST AFRICA", "5", date	1964	central hole
[14][15]	10 cents	KM 40	Bronze	"SENTI KUMI", 10, "TEN CENTS", "EAST AFRICA"	"EAST AFRICA", "10", date	1964	central hole
For table standards, see the coin specification table.

Krause, Chester L.; Clifford Mishler (2003). 2004 Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1901–Present. Colin R. Bruce II (senior editor) (31st ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0873495934.

Banknotes

In 1921, notes were issued by the East African Currency Board in denominations of 5/-, 10/-, 20/-, 100/-, 200/-, 1,000/- and 10,000/-, with the notes of 20 shillings and above having their denominations expressed also in pounds (£1, £5, £10, £50 and £500). In 1943, 1/- notes were issued, the only occasion that such notes were produced. 1,000/- notes were only issued until 1933, with 10,000/- notes last issued in 1947. The remaining denominations were issued until 1964.

Shilling denominations were written on banknotes in English, Arabic, and Gujarati, while values in pounds were written in English only.

Gallery

1925 East African 1 Shilling coin obverse
1925 East African 1 Shilling coin reverse
1935 East African 5 cent coin obverse
1935 East African 5 cent coin reverse
1930 East African 1 cent coin obverse
1930 East African 1 cent coin reverse
British East Africa 1 cent and 10 cent coins
1956 East African half shilling coin reverse

References

^ ""Section 19 — Currency, Banking, Weights & Measures"". Kenya Colony and Protectorate Blue Book 1936. 31 December 1936. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Global Financial Data currency histories table". Retrieved 27 April 2007.
^ ^a ^b Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Kenya". Retrieved 27 April 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Tanzania". Retrieved 28 May 2007.
^ ^a ^b Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Uganda". Retrieved 27 April 2007.
^ Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Asia". Retrieved 27 April 2007.
^ Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Somalia". Retrieved 29 April 2007.
^ Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Ethiopia". Retrieved 29 April 2007.
^ Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Eritrea". Retrieved 29 April 2007.
^ Owino, Vincent (22 November 2023). ""EAC to revise economic targets to attain monetary union dream"". The East African. Retrieved 7 June 2024.

Krause, Chester L.; Clifford Mishler (1991). Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1801–1991 (18th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0873411501.
Pick, Albert (1994). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues. Colin R. Bruce II and Neil Shafer (editors) (7th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-207-9.

The last issued 10,000/- note was dated 1 August 1951 but the high denomination note was used for clearing internally for many years after 1951.

External links

Preceded by: Indian rupee, Maria Theresa Thaler and other foreign currencies Ratio: Various	Currency of Colony of Aden 1951 – 1963		Currency of Federation of South Arabia 1963 – 1965	Succeeded by: South Yemeni dinar Ratio: 1 dinar = 20 shillings
	Currency of Aden Protectorate 1951 – 1959	Currency of Federation of Arab Emirates of the South 1959 – 1963
		Currency of remainder of Aden Protectorate 1959 – 1963 Note: throughout this time period, various states within the protectorate joined the federation	Currency of Protectorate of South Arabia 1963 – 1965
Preceded by: Zanzibari rupee Ratio: 11⁄2 shillings = 1 Zanzibari rupee = 1 Indian rupee	Currency of Zanzibar January 1, 1936 – 1964		Currency of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar) 1964 – 1969	Succeeded by: Tanzanian shilling Reason: currency independence Ratio: at par Note: independent shilling introduced in 1966, but EA shilling not demonetized until 1969
Preceded by: East African florin Ratio: 2 shillings = 1 florin	Currency of East Africa (Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda) 1921 – various dates of independence
			Currency of Kenya 1963 – 1969	Succeeded by: Kenyan shilling Reason: currency independence Ratio: at par Note: independent shilling introduced in 1966, but EA shilling not demonetized until 1969
			Currency of Uganda 1962 – 1969	Succeeded by: First Ugandan shilling Reason: currency independence Ratio: at par Note: independent shilling introduced in 1966, but EA shilling not demonetized until 1969
Preceded by: Italian East African lira Reason: United Kingdom recaptured British Somaliland from Italy, and also occupied Italian East Africa Ratio: 1 shilling = 24 lire	Currency of British Somaliland 1941 – 1962			Succeeded by: Somali shilling Reason: independence as part of Somalia Ratio: at par
	Currency of Italian Somaliland 1941 – 1950			Succeeded by: Italian Somaliland somalo Reason: return to Italy (in 1949) Ratio: at par
	Currency of Ethiopia 1941 – 1945			Succeeded by: Ethiopian dollar Reason: (Ethiopia) independence (Eritrea) federation with Ethiopia Ratio: 1 dollar = 2 shillings
	Currency of Eritrea 1941 – 1952

[1] ""Section 19 — Currency, Banking, Weights & Measures"". Kenya Colony and Protectorate Blue Book 1936. 31 December 1936. Retrieved 7 August 2024.

[gfd_table-2] "Global Financial Data currency histories table". Retrieved 27 April 2007.

[tmms_kenya-3] Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Kenya". Retrieved 27 April 2007.

[tmms_tanzania-4] Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Tanzania". Retrieved 28 May 2007.

[tmms_uganda-5] Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Uganda". Retrieved 27 April 2007.

[tmms_asia-6] Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Asia". Retrieved 27 April 2007.

[tmms_somalia-7] Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Somalia". Retrieved 29 April 2007.

[tmms_ethiopia-8] Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Ethiopia". Retrieved 29 April 2007.

[tmms_eritrea-9] Schuler, Kurt. "Tables of Modern Monetary History: Eritrea". Retrieved 29 April 2007.

[10] Owino, Vincent (22 November 2023). ""EAC to revise economic targets to attain monetary union dream"". The East African. Retrieved 7 June 2024.

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v t e Currency units named shilling or similar
Circulating	Israeli shekel Kenyan shilling Peruvian sol Somali shilling Somaliland shilling Tanzanian shilling Ugandan shilling
Defunct	Argentine sol Australian shilling Austrian schilling Bavarian schilling Biafran shilling Bolivian sol British shilling Cypriot shilling East African shilling English shilling Fijian shilling Flemish schelling French sou French colonial sou Guadeloupe sou Haitian sou New France sou Saint Lucia sou Gambian shilling Ghanaian shilling Hamburg and Lübeck schilling Irish scilling Israeli old shekel Italian soldo Japanese government-issued Oceanian shilling Jersey sou Lombardo-Venetian soldo Luccan soldo Luxembourg sou Malawian shilling Massachusetts pine tree shilling Mecklenburg schilling New Zealand shilling Nigerian shilling Papal soldo Parman soldo Peruvian sol de oro Polish szeląg Portuguese soldo Rhodesian shilling Rhodesia and Nyasaland shilling Roman solidus Sardinian soldo Scandinavian skilling Schleswig-Holstein schilling courant Scots shilling Shekel Southern Rhodesian shilling South African sjieling Spanish sueldo Ticinese soldo Tuscan soldo Ukrainian shah Venetian soldo Wörgl schilling Württemberg schilling Zambian shilling
As a denomination	Canadian sou Egyptian shelen Vietnamese xu
Proposed	East African shilling
See also	Shilling mark (/–) Roman currency Carolingian monetary system £sd