The Republic of Uganda is an East African country surrounded by Kenya, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. This landlocked nation is in the African Great Lakes. Along with Kenya and Tanzania, the southern part of Uganda takes a huge portion of Lake Victoria. Its economy is driven by the agricultural sector which employs about 80% of the nation’s workforce. Uganda also has an abundant supply of gold reserves and other minerals and is bestowed with fertile lands and rainfall. In 1894, the country had been ruled by the United Kingdom as its protectorate, until it gained its independence on October 9, 1962.
Introduction Of The Uganda Shilling
The Ugandan shilling is the official currency of Uganda which was introduced in 1966, replacing the East African shilling. Initially, the shilling was divided into 100 cents, however, after 2013 the currency subdivision was discontinued.
A common design of the first Ugandan shilling banknotes is the coat of arms of Uganda depicted on the obverse of the 5, 10, and 20 shilling banknotes. On the other, the 100 shilling note of this series depicts a crested crane but also shows the coat of arms on the bottom of the obverse.
In 1971, Army Commander Idi Amin Dada took power from President Apollo Milton Opeto Obote through a military coup. With Idi Amin Dada in power, thousands of people were killed including the first bank governor of the Bank of Uganda, Joseph Mubiru. As a result, new set of notes reflecting the new president’s portrait begin to circulate.
Another series was released following Idi Amin Dada’s exile. These banknotes have a similar theme as the preceding issues except that the president’s portrait is replaced with an illustration of the Bank of Uganda’s headquarters building.
The 1987 issues of the Ugandan shilling banknotes have a uniform design on their obverse. They also highlight the national emblem, the outline map of Uganda, and the bank emblem. Recent banknotes portray Uganda’s rich history and heritage as well as its natural attractions and national motifs.