File photo shows an old man and a young woman scavenge for garbage at the expansive Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi. Photo/ Xinhuanet.comThe government has stated that there will be no change on plastic ban deadline set for Monday.
Even with incessant protests from manufacturers of the bags, the Environment Ministry says the state is set to enforce the law on plastic bags.
Principal Secretary to the Ministry Charles Sunkuli on Wednesday stated that requisite measures have been put in place to deal with those who violet the legal provision.
“This ban will not be postponed. We as a Ministry are ready to effect the ban,” Sunkuli said.
Manufacturers had lamented of massive losses provoking concerns of job loss once the ban is put into effect.
The ban on the use of plastic bags for both domestic and commercial use was announced through a Gazette Notice dated February 28, this year.
Sunkuli cited that they would hunt down manufacturers of plastic bags to lock the source before dealing with the common citizen.
“All those who have factories to manufacture the plastic bags will be our first target,” he said.
“We will make sure they will not make the plastic bags, so that they do not reach the common Kenyan. We will make sure that starting from the factories, there are no plastic bags.”
The PS insisted that the ban was informed by the Constitution; every Kenyan has a right to live in a clean environment.
He said that more job opportunities would be created through emergence of cottage industries that will seek to provide an alternative to the plastic bags.
“Through the ban, Kenya will be playing a global role in achieving sustainable development goals…the ban will contribute greatly to vision 2030’s goal of Kenya being a clean middle income economy,” he said.