The Central Bank of Kenya has reacted to claims that some supermarkets had formed the habit of giving sweets, match boxes and airtime as change in place of coins.
According to Governor Patrick Njoroge, it had come to their attention that some major supermarkets were infringing on the rights of their customers by forcing them to take substitute commodities in the place of coins.
“It’s against the law because such supermarkets offer the said commodities without offering the customer chance to access coins,” he said in a statement on Friday.
The CBK boss further reiterated the fact that the institution has enough coins in supply and nobody had the right to force commodities in the place of change.
“It’s a violation of the law to deny customers the possibility of obtaining their desired change in any form of Kenyan currency,” he explained.
He said customers were entitled to choosing which form of change to get in the case of unavailability of the exact amount of coins at the disposal during the transaction.
“Denying a customer the opportunity of agreeing to settle the transaction in any other form is never accepted,” the CBK boss noted.
He expressed confidence that the coins distributed into the market ay back in 2012 during the national crisis were enough to supplement the country for the next three years further accusing the common mwananchi of keeping coins.
“A shilling is a valid Kenyan currency that should be used in purchasing for any good or service at any given time. Anybody not accepting them in exchange of goods and services is going against our policy, which is against the law,” he warned.
A spot check on Friday evening in Nakuru revealed that a majority of the supermarkets were still giving out sweets as change, with many retailers refusing to accept the coins.
“I don’t accept shillings because you receive them but no customer wants to take them back as change which is inconveniencing,” offered, Mercy Kenga, who operates a retail shop within the CBD.
A cashier at a leading supermarket in town who sought anonymity because he is not authorised to speak said majority of customers ask for sweets in place of less than Sh5 change.
“We don’t force sweets on the customers, some simply ask for them in the place of coins so I don’t see why we should be blamed here,” he said.
CBK threatened to take legal action against outlets that will no heed the directive, saying the practice had rendered the shilling valueless to many Kenyans.