The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has dispatched a team of reinforcement officers along the country’s borders in a move aimed at curbing infiltration of the banned plastic carrier bags into the country.
NEMA Legal Services Director Irene Kamunge has further put to notice fraudulent traders who are still using the plastic carrier bags which are in circulation in most parts of the North Rift region despite being outlawed a year ago.
Addressing the press in Eldoret on Wednesday during a public forum on the Environmental Management and Co-ordination (Plastics Bags Control and Management Regulations, 2018), Kamunge said that ‘many’ suspects had been arrested and prosecuted over the manufacture, importation, and exportation of plastic carrier bags.
Kamunga, however, did not specify the exact number of suspects arrested.
NEMA believes the plastic bags are imported into the country from Uganda and other countries through porous border points and are supplied to various markets by "organised" cartels to specific "loyal" customers who are ready to protect them.
She said the cartels in most cases enjoy the protection of corrupt government officials after paying bribes.
“As we are aware, a lot of these banned plastic carrier bags are coming through our borders and the authority is working hard to ensure that we curb these plastic bags coming into the country through upscaling enforcement mechanism to ensure that anyone found with these outlawed carrier bags is arrested and prosecuted,” Kamunge said.
Apart from Rwanda and Kenya, other East African countries such as Tanzania and Burundi are yet to ban the use of plastic bags.
The environmental watchdog has been going round the country to collect views on the proposed regulations.
According to the proposals in the regulations, any person who engages in manufacturing, importation and sale of the banned plastic carrier bags commits an offence and is liable upon conviction for a term of not less than one (1) year and not more than four (4) years or a fine of not less than Sh2 million and not more than Sh4 million or both.
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