A man reported a leading supermarket in the country to the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) after the retailer gave him sweets instead of his full balance.
A statement in the Authority’s Annual Report and Financial Statement released on Wednesday, April 5, noted that the individual claimed that the cashier handed him less balance after purchasing a few items.
The man complained that the cashier offered him two sweets because of alleged shortage of coins, although the customer rejected the offer.
He noted that the cashier proceeded to ask him to cancel the transaction if he could not accept the sweets explaining that the supermarket did not have coins.
“The Complainant went to a supermarket in Nakuru and did some shopping. The cashier gave him some two sweets which he declined.
“The cashier requested him to cancel the transaction due to a lack of change on the part of the supermarket. Instead, the cashier declined,” the statement read in part.
CAK further noted that resolving the matter was found not to be within its mandate since the complaint involved a legal tender issue.
“The Complainant was advised to pursue the matter with a higher authority and the case was closed,” noted the authority.
The Competition Authority of Kenya is mandated to enhance the welfare of Kenyans by promoting and protecting effective competition in markets.
It attains this by making representations to the government, government commissions, regulatory authorities and other bodies on matters relating to competition and consumer welfare among other responsibilities.
"The authority Investigates policies, procedures and programmes of regulatory authorities so as to assess their effects on competition and consumer welfare and publicize the results of such studies," the authority states in part on its website
Shortage of coins in the country pushed supermarkets to turn to sweets, airtime or matchboxes as substitutes.
However, the Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr Patrick Njoroge in 2020 attributed the shortage to coins not circulating freely, some banks charging customers to deposit coins, some kiosks and shops not accepting certain denominations of coins, and people not carrying coins while going shopping.
“We believe that the bulk of the coins are held by members of the public either in their homes, offices or car pouches. Is it becoming expensive to make trips to the bank for coins?” Prof Ndung’u asked.
