10000 Ugandan Shillings Banknote (Owen Falls Dam)

10,000 Shillings / S Ugandan Shilling (Issued 2007)

Fewer than a handful of CHOGM commemorative issues from Uganda’s 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting have passed through professional currency exchanges in the United Kingdom, making surviving examples genuinely scarce in the secondary market. Issued to mark the Commonwealth summit held in Kampala between 23 and 25 November 2007, this ten-thousand-shilling note represents a singular moment in Ugandan monetary history — one of very few times the Bank of Uganda released a specially designated commemorative banknote for an international political event. The combination of its limited circulation window, specific commemorative overprint, and the relatively short period during which it would have been actively used in everyday commerce has meant that well-preserved examples are seldom encountered. Both historians of the Commonwealth and students of East African numismatics have taken a keen interest in documenting this issue.

On the front, the note presents a predominantly pale green and cream colour field enriched with complex guilloché patterning that fills much of the background in fine interlocking geometric waves of sage green, gold, and pale teal. To the left of centre, a stylised grey-crowned crane — Uganda’s national bird — is depicted in a bold, graphic rendering, its distinctive plumage and crest rendered in shades of red, grey, and black against the pale ground. Immediately above the crane, the commemorative text reads “CHOGM 2007” in bold dark lettering, with the dates “23–25 NOVEMBER” printed beneath, accompanied by a small red globe motif representing the Commonwealth. The issuing authority is declared in prominent burgundy serif type along the top margin: “BANK OF UGANDA”, flanked on both sides by the numeral “10000” in large bold figures. Centrally positioned, the Bank of Uganda coat of arms appears in crisp detail, featuring a shield supported by crested cranes and crowned by a kob antelope above a drum, with a ribbon device beneath. Below the coat of arms, the denomination is stated in two languages — “TEN THOUSAND SHILLINGS” and “SHILINGI ELFU KUMI” — in bold red-brown lettering, with a further line of smaller text reading “LEGAL TENDER FOR TEN THOUSAND SHILLINGS” and “THE BANK OF UGANDA”. Two facsimile signatures appear below this text, attributed to the Governor and Secretary of the Bank of Uganda respectively. The serial number “UG0669191” is printed in red to the upper right, and the same serial number appears vertically along the left margin. A security thread is embedded within the paper, visible as a dark vertical stripe. To the lower right, the year “2007” appears, and a small gold letter “X” is visible nearby as a security device. The right-hand portion of the note features a further segment of guilloché border patterning in dark red and gold, incorporating a series of oval and diamond motifs in a repeating band.

The reverse opens with the same bold “BANK OF UGANDA” heading in burgundy across the top, with “10000” repeated in large numerals on both the left and right. The denomination legend “TEN THOUSAND SHILLINGS / SHILINGI ELFU KUMI” is reprinted in bold text to the upper right. The central design is dominated by an aerial or elevated landscape view of a large hydroelectric dam complex, identifiable as the Owen Falls Dam at Jinja on the River Nile, depicted in detailed engraved-style print in olive green, grey, and brown tones. The dam’s long spillway structure and the body of water behind it are clearly rendered, with a sense of spatial depth conveying the scale of the installation. To the right of centre, a naturalistic vignette shows two mountain gorillas — an adult and a younger animal — depicted in warm brown tones amid green foliage, a direct reference to Uganda’s status as a habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla. The left margin carries a circular floral rosette watermark-style device in lavender and pale green. The lower portion of the note features a broad decorative band in dark red incorporating repeated geometric diamond and oval forms, echoing the design on the front. The overall paper has a crisp, slightly textured feel consistent with cotton-fibre security substrate, and the show-through of the security thread from the front is faintly visible against the light background.

Sell foreign coins and banknotes the simple way: this 10,000 Shillings CHOGM commemorative banknote can be exchanged through Webuyallcurrency.com together with other old or withdrawn Ugandan Shillings banknotes, all settled in a single transaction.

• Indicate the quantity of 10,000 Shillings / S Ugandan Shilling banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Turn forgotten Ugandan Shillings banknotes into money: Webuyallcurrency.com lets you exchange foreign coins and notes — even withdrawn ones — as part of one clear transaction, no specialist knowledge required.

Other Ugandan Shillings you can exchange: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000.