A smooth stick. A banknote. Masking tape. How those three become a petal is an art that can be best explained by traders who have perfected the art of making cash bouquets.
They will tell you that money doesn’t grow on trees but with enough skill, it can become a petal. Florists in Nairobi and other cities had been in the sprouting business of crafting cash bouquets until the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) rained on their parade on Monday.
In a not-too-flowery language, CBK said that the way the notes are twisted to make the petals that build bouquets is not good for the longevity and integrity of the legal tender.
“The use of adhesives, pins, staples, and similar materials damages banknotes and interferes with the efficient operation of cash-handling and processing equipment, including automated teller machines (ATMs), cash counting machines, and sorting equipment,” stated the banking regulator.
Our interviews with various florists who have been in the business of delivering cash petals instead of organic flower petals, or mixed with real petals, revealed that things may not be too rosy this Valentine’s Day.
A number of Sh50 notes used to make a money bouquet are pictured at Jo's Florist Studio at Olympic House in Nairobi on January 29, 2025.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
Florist Joan Momanyi, who was on the Nation news pages last year for delivering a Sh150,000 bouquet comprising Sh1,000 notes, said the trend is more established in Asia.
She added that she learnt the art of making money bouquets from online tutorials. She got her first order in 2024.
“It started gaining traction in 2024,” she said.
By Monday evening when the CBK issued its statement, Ms Momanyi was receiving orders for as many as five cash bouquets a day because “there are birthdays” and “something is always happening”.
To make the bouquets, the florists usually go to banks, hoping to get the newest banknotes available.
“[A bank is] the only source. Out here, it’s not easy to get someone with Sh50 notes that add up to Sh5,000,” said Ms Momanyi. “You have to go to the bank. Sometimes you don’t get the crisp ones. The Sh500 and the Sh1,000 ones are especially not in circulation a lot, compared to the Sh50 ones that are released [regularly].”
A number of Sh50 notes used to make a money bouquet are pictured at Jo's Florist Studio at Olympic House in Nairobi on January 29, 2025.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
And no, you can’t pinch some notes. Ms Momanyi said the recipient will tell the sender how much they got after removing and counting the notes. And so, the maker has to be faithful with the money given and only bag their commission. With that, “you can take it to the bank” sounds like the ideal marketing tagline for florists.
Cash bouquets, online sources say, have been a hit among Asian cultures that view hard currency as a harbinger of good luck. They are common in East and Southeast Asia and are exchanged during weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions.
The tutorials Ms Momanyi studied from, she said, were mostly from Thailand and Malaysia. Social media has been credited for the spread of the culture to Kenya.
On Valentine’s Day 2025, Ms Momanyi’s business facilitated the delivery of a Sh150,000 cash bouquet to actress and content creator Joan Mutheu, thanks to an order made by Joan’s partner.
Joan told NTV: “Of course, I was expecting some flowers because I am a lady, and maybe a chocolate. But we’ve never talked about the money bouquet part. So, when I saw it, I was just surprised. I was excited; I felt loved.”
The wowing power of cash bouquets caused brisk business. Florist Henry Sultan told NTV on Monday that “most of us have been depending on it”.
Money used to make the money bouquet pictured at Jo's Florist Studio at Olympic House in Nairobi on January 29, 2025.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
On Tuesday, florist Eva Wambui told the Nation that the business of money bouquets was “at its peak”.
“All of a sudden, everyone is literally afraid of even ordering the money bouquets,” she said. “It leaves us in a very awkward position because we don’t know how it will affect the people we employed and also the people who supply us with the materials of making money bouquets because they had ordered these items in large quantities.”
In its notice, CBK said the Penal Code prohibits “defacement, mutilation, or impairment of currency notes”.
“Any person who wilfully defaces, mutilates, or in any way impairs any currency note issued by lawful authority commits an offence under the Penal Code,” it added.
“Any person who wilfully and without lawful authority or excuse defaces, tears, cuts or otherwise mutilates any currency note shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding two thousand shillings or to both such imprisonment and fine,” says the applicable section of the Penal Code, which was last updated in 1966.
The florists we interviewed said the timing of the CBK notice was sadistic, coming just over a week to Valentine’s Day.
“I know many people had it in their wish lists,” said Ms Momanyi. But there are other forms of gifting money that we can incorporate.”
Ms Wambui noted: “I wish it actually came after Valentine’s. We have explored different and alternative ways of running and complying with the regulations.”
Florist Faith Anyiso told the Nation : “You can gift your partner through M-Pesa or through the bank.”
Whether there would be anyone going behind bars for three months or parting with Sh2,000 in the name of love is a matter of wait-and-see.
