British currency printing firm De La Rue has suspended its printing operations in Kenya citing reduced orders and a poor economic climate.

The shock move announced yesterday by the UK-based firm sparked jitters among hundreds of its local employees and concerns over the supply of the country’s cash and coins requirements.

De La Rue, which operates from Nairobi’s Ruaraka area, designs and produces banknotes and banknote security features for the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).The firm retained a Sh10 billion-a-year tender to print Kenya’s new-look currency in 2018, which paved way for the retirement of the Sh1,000 older generation notes.