5 Shillings

Uganda's 1987 coinage was struck during one of the most turbulent monetary periods in the country's post-independence history. The economy had been gutted by nearly two decades of mismanagement and civil conflict, and the Ugandan shilling had collapsed so severely that by the mid-1980s the government was issuing banknotes in denominations that rendered small coinage essentially worthless in real purchasing terms. The switch to nickel plated steel for this issue reflects cost-cutting by a treasury with almost no hard currency reserves.

Yoweri Museveni had taken power just the previous year, and the new government would soon replace the shilling altogether in a 1987 redenomination at 100:1.