On Valentine’s Day, many women receive red roses or teddy bears clutching love messages or are taken for dinners.
For men who believe a gift is similar to gratitude, their women will receive words of appreciation, hugs and kisses or smiles.
However, some Kenyan men go above and beyond to show appreciation by gifting their lovers extravagant bouquets made of crisp currency notes.
Among those who have received this type of gift is Joan Mutheu—worth Sh150,000.
“It was my boyfriend’s idea. He told me he saw someone gift a money bouquet and loved how it was presented. He thought, ‘Why shouldn’t my girlfriend feel that special too?,” she tells the Nation .
“It is such a unique and practical gift. Most of the time, you don’t know exactly what someone wants for a special occasion, but with cash, they can get whatever they desire.”
This is not the first time that Ms Mutheu has been gifted a cash bouquet. Last Valentine’s Day, she got a bouquet worth Sh100,000, made entirely of Sh500 notes.
Joan Mutheu, actress and content creator, smiles as she holds a Sh150,000 cash bouquet, a Valentine’s surprise from her boyfriend, at Mystical Waterfront, Ruiru.
Photo credit: Kiplang’at Shadrack| Nation Media Group
To most people, asking a flower seller to make an arrangement out of such a large sum of money raises security concerns.
“It’s cash and you worry, ‘What if something happens during delivery? What if it gets lost or tampered with?’” says Ms Mutheu, who is an actress and content creator with over 800,000 followers on TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
She says her boyfriend took several precautions to ensure the cash bouquets reached her safely, including constant communication with the florist. “He kept calling to track the delivery,” she says.
When the bouquet finally arrived, Ms Mutheu says she was blown away. “It was beyond my expectations,” she says, “the bouquet looked stunning.
"The money was arranged so beautifully. When you receive money in a bouquet, it’s not just someone handing you cash from their wallet; it’s presented in a way that feels special, like a gift that’s been carefully thought out.”
“Anyone can send you money through M-Pesa, but when it’s arranged in a bouquet, it adds a special touch. It feels more deliberate, more thoughtful. You don’t forget a gift like that,” she adds.
The demand for cash bouquets has created a new opportunity for florists, especially in Nairobi.
Joan Momanyi, who owns Jo’s Florist Studio on Koinange Street, says they have had to adapt to the new trends and craft these unique arrangements.
“Now we deal with fresh flowers, money bouquets, gifts—basically anything that consumers want to gift,” she says.
But when it comes to the delicate art of arranging cash into bouquets, there is more to it than meets the eye.
Joan Mutheu, actress and content creator, smiles as she holds a Sh150,000 cash bouquet, a Valentine’s surprise from her boyfriend, at Mystical Waterfront, Ruiru.
Photo credit: Kiplang’at Shadrack| Nation Media Group
“We use skewers, the kind you use in the kitchen,” she explains. The notes are then attached to these skewers using masking tape, which ensures the money is secured without damaging it.
“Masking tape is gentle, so you can remove the notes without tearing them,” she says.
The final arrangement is set in floral foam, the same type used in traditional flower bouquets.
“This foam holds everything in place—both the cash and any flowers that are added for aesthetic purposes,” Ms Momanyi says.
Cash bouquets are also time-consuming and require more manpower. For instance, it took her team one hour to ensure the Sh150,000 bouquet was securely packaged in a box to maintain its shape.
“We package the bouquet in a way that no one can tell what’s inside the box,” Ms Momanyi explains. “We also have a designated rider who does the deliveries for us. At times, we get Uber too, depending on how the client wants the bouquet delivered.”
“We use couriers because they don’t know what’s inside, which helps in terms of security. But sometimes the bouquet can be mishandled during transport. We’ve had situations where the notes get crumpled. Perhaps in the future, I’ll explore opening my own courier service to handle these deliveries,” she says.
When asked about client concerns, Ms Momanyi says: “We understand the trust issues. That’s why we encourage sceptical clients to visit our physical location and give us the money in person.”
