Ghana’s arrest of seven women accused of making “money bouquets” and decorating cakes with banknotes offers a useful warning for Uganda, where similar practices of displaying, spraying and incorporating cash into celebrations are common.
The issue is not simply about how people choose to celebrate. It raises a broader question about the legal status and integrity of Uganda’s currency and whether the misuse of banknotes should attract stronger enforcement.
In Uganda, the Bank of Uganda has a legal mandate to issue and regulate the country’s currency. Banknotes are legal tender and are designed to circulate through the economy, not to be altered, damaged or treated as decorative material.
Practices such as spraying money at weddings, birthdays and other celebrations, writing on notes, folding them excessively or using large quantities of banknotes as decorations can potentially create problems for the currency system.
What Ghana’s action means for Uganda
The Ghana case is particularly relevant because the authorities did not stop at issuing a warning. They moved to arrests after determining that the practice amounted to improper handling of the national currency.
For Uganda, the key lesson is that public awareness and enforcement need to go together.
If Uganda considers similar action, the Bank of Uganda would need to clearly establish what conduct is prohibited, what law applies, and what penalties are available. Enforcement would also need to distinguish between deliberate destruction or alteration of currency and ordinary handling of banknotes by members of the public.
The issue is increasingly relevant as social-media-driven celebrations make cash displays more visible. Money bouquets and elaborate cash arrangements can turn currency into a status symbol, particularly at weddings and other high-profile events.
A question of respect for the shilling
There is also an economic dimension.
Banknotes cost money to produce, distribute, replace and eventually withdraw from circulation. When notes are damaged or defaced, they may have to be removed and replaced, adding costs to the currency-management system.
For Uganda, therefore, the Ghana experience provides an opportunity for Bank of Uganda, commercial banks, event organisers and the public to clarify what is acceptable treatment of the Uganda shilling.
The central question is not whether Ugandans should stop celebrating with money. It is whether celebration should come at the expense of the integrity, usability and dignity of the national currency.
If Ghana’s crackdown marks a new phase of currency enforcement in Africa, Uganda may eventually have to decide whether its own rules are clear enough—and whether they are being enforced consistently.
