Pastoralists in Tana River and Lamu Counties have appealed to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to allow them to exchange their old Sh1,000 notes.
The pastoralists have decried lack of information concerning the September 30, 2019 deadline for the withdrawal of the old notes.
According to the pastoralists, they had gone deep into remote areas to feed their animals, thus they could not exchange their notes.
Over 2,000 pastoralists returned to their homes only to find that the old Sh1,000 notes were no longer in use.
"We tried paying for food in a hotel in Minjila, only to be told the money was not valid. It nearly ended in a confrontation with the hotel owner, but someone who understood where we had come from later explained to us what was going on," Mohammed Barisa told the Daily Nation.
They noted that some traders went into the wilderness to buy their animals using the old notes knowing very well the deadline was approaching.
"We even sold some sheep and goats to some people, and they paid us with these old Sh1,000 notes. We have close to Sh200,000 with us, but now we are told we have papers that no bank can take," said Ishmael Barako, one of the herders as quoted by the daily.
The pastoralists have now directed their cries to CBK Governor Patrick Njoroge, appealing to be given a short period of time to exchange their notes.