Large retail outlets have been spending millions to buy coins, a cost they now say may have to be passed to shoppers.

Speaking at the launch of the 'Chomoa coins campaign' The chairman of the newly launched Retail Traders Association Alfred Ng'ang'a said supermarkets are experiencing the artificial shortage of coins because it has been turned into a lucrative business.

"Lets not get ourselves into to a situation like happened in Argentina where black market coin traders were demanding more than 7 per cent profit" said Habil Olaka, the chairman of the Kenya Bankers Association.

Willy Kimani from Naivas supermarket said they are spending Sh3.6 million annually to buy the coins in a bid to avoid clashing with shoppers demanding their change.

"We have invested in a pickup and two employees to run around as far as Muranga, in kiosks in slum areas and churches which is now draining us," said Kimani.

According to Anil Shah of Ukwala supermarkets some of their employees were shot and robbed while looking for coins in kiosks in one of the slums in Eastlands. Uchumi supermarkets have introduced a gift card to tackle the problem but at a cost absorbed by the retail chain.

Thiangararajan Ramamurthy, the Nakummatt supermarkets managing director said they will be launching an incentive linked approach to net coins from customers.

The Central Bank governor Njuguna Ndung'u insists that there e is no shortage of coin but people are keeping them out of circulation for no good reason.