Most people who were born during the 80’s in Nakuru have a tale to tell about the 50 cents coin as they got to buy sweets such as ‘Patko’ and ‘Koo’ during the 1990’s.
Others on the other had invented ways to trick Kenya Posts and Telecommunication Corporation which is now referred to as Telkom Kenya off their money which they collected from coin boxes as they would use Big G to stick two 50 cent coins together which the coin box would read as Sh10 according to the way it was programmed, leaving the tricksters to enjoy ‘free calls’ for a long time. As a result, the company made some losses though they never really discovered who was behind the naughtiness.
Fast forward to 2016 and the fifty cent coin may have lost its value in Nakuru as it is no longer acceptable in most shops found at the outskirts of Nakuru town.
This is still the case despite the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) some time back insisting that it is a legal tender and that it is still valuable.
The shopkeepers would rather trust you to bring back the amount in shillings even if they have never met you in their lives so as to avoid the coins, their argument being that they cannot use the money to purchase anything from their suppliers.
However, some supermarkets i.e. Tuskys Supermarket in Nakuru readily give the 50 cents coin as part of a person’s change though most people do not readily accept it as they will be forced not to use them back home.
Other customers in Nakuru who are given the 50 cents coins as part of their pick sweets and matchboxes worth the same amount as the coins have lost value to them.
Due to this factor, it is high time that the Central bank of Kenya came up with a strategy to encourage people to use it more if they still want it to remain being a legal tender.