Over 2,000 Tana, Lamu pastoralists stuck with thousands of old currency notes
Herders who had been grazing in remote Tana Delta in Tana River County since February returning home on October 2, 2019. They were not aware Kenya phased-out the old Sh1,000 note. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- More than 2,000 herders who migrated since February appeal to CBK to allow them exchange their old Sh1,000 notes.
- Herdsmen said they were made aware of that their Sh1,000 notes were useless at the weekend when they reached trading centres and tried to pay for services.
More than 2,000 pastoralists who had migrated to remote areas of Tana River and Lamu counties are back home and with them Sh1,000 notes that are no longer legal tender.
The herders are now appealing to the Central Bank to open a short window for them to swap their old notes.
The pastoralists, who had been grazing in Witu and Boni in Lamu, say owing to long journeys in the wilderness, they could not get back home in time to beat the September 30 deadline.
CONFRONTATION
In an interview with the Nation, the herdsmen said they were made aware of that their Sh1,000 notes were useless at the weekend when they reached trading centres and tried to pay for services.
"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," noted Mohammed Barisa.
Mr Barisa said about 2,000 pastoralists were still in the hinterlands grazing their cows, unaware of the changes taking place in the country.
TRADING IN OLD NOTES
He noted that the groups of herdsmen left home in February and have no mode of communication or any information regarding the currency changes.
The herders also recounted making huge losses at the weekend to unscrupulous traders who sought to buy livestock from them on their return trip.
"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, a herder.
Further, he said that some livestock traders are heading to the forests with trucks to buy cattle with the old notes from herders still in the dark about the currency swap.
APPEAL
The pastoralists are now appealing to the Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge to give them a chance to exchange their notes.
"We are in various groups from different areas. Our groups have leaders who can confirm who is from where so that everything will be very transparent to save us from this loss we are facing," pleaded Mr Barako.
More than 5,000 pastoralists reportedly moved to areas of Lamu and Tana Delta in search of pasture according to reports by the National Drought Management Authority.
