There is mixed reaction among residents of Nyamira south Sub County as the government is set to effect the ban on plastic bags on Monday next week.
According to some of residents majority who practiced livestock farming said they had suffered huge losses after their animals died as a result of consuming plastic bags which are strewn all over.
“The ban should have been effected long time ago as it would have saved most of our livestock,” Samson Mogere a farmer from Kebirigo said.
He said the benefits accrued from the sale of the bags as was being argued by businessmen could not outweigh the losses incurred by farmers and the effects on the environment.
Helen Nyang’ara a business woman at Kebirigo market said while she supports the ban, the government and NEMA should have sensitized wananchi first and offered an alternative before affecting the ban.
“For instance, we the small scale traders have been using plastic bags to package goods for our customers. To date, we don’t know what to use as an alternative,” she said.
She cited the packaging of foods like carrots which she says was put in plastic papers to maintain its moisture.
Hellen also took issue with the proposed fine, saying it was prohibitive especially to the ordinary wananchi who mostly used the plastic bags.
“If I am arrested, I will have no alternative but to serve the jail term as I cannot raise the Sh.2 million even if I was to work for more than two years,” she added.
This comes six months after Environment Ministry issued a gazette notice on 28th February 2017, banning the use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging.
Prof. Wakhungu announced On March 14th that Kenya will ban plastic bags on September 1, 2017, a move that was hailed by a majority of Kenyans, praising her for taking the step in the right direction.