NEMA Launches Door-to-Door Crackdown Targeting Select Businesses

TheNational Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has announced a crackdown on facilities that continue the produce banned polythene bags.
In a statement on Thursday, August 21, the authority claimed that reports have surfaced that there are companies that are still manufacturing the bags. NEMA claims that it has already dispatched officers to physically scrutinise these facilities and take action. This will also apply to other factories that will appear on the authority’s radar.
NEMA urged the public to ensure that they report any individual or company linked to the production of the outlawed bags. The public can reach out to the authority through 0741 101 100 / 0786 101 100 or incidence@nema.go.ke.
“NemaKenya inspectors carried out operations in several facilities suspected of manufacturing banned polythene bags. This follows reports that some companies have been operating discreetly in the production of the outlawed bags,” NEMA stated.
“NEMA will continue surveillance to eradicate illegal production and ensure that offenders are prosecuted. We urge members of the public to report any persons involved in the production or distribution of banned plastic bags,” it added.
The government banned polythene bags in 2017 due to severe environmental and health concerns, which included clogging drains, harming livestock by filling their stomachs, and releasing toxic chemicals when burned.
Under the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act, the possession or use of banned plastic bags is punishable by fines ranging from Ksh2 million to Ksh4 million, imprisonment for one to two years, or both.
After the ban, NEMA was mandated to carry out crackdowns, arrests, and prosecutions of individuals and businesses caught manufacturing, selling, importing, or using illegal plastic bags.
The ban ultimatelyled to the closure of approximately 176 companiesthat were producing the bags.
“It is notified to the public that the CS Environment and natural resources have, with effect from six months from the date of this notice, banned the use, manufacture, and importation of plastic bags for commercial and household packaging,” read a statement by the former Environment Cabinet Secretary Judy Wakhungu.
The announcement comes months after the authority refutedclaims that it would impose a KSh100 million fineon all those involved in the manufacturing, importing, selling, or using of plastic carrier bags.
In a statement on Saturday, March 1, the authority also denied claims that poor waste management practices, such as driving without a dustbin, littering from commercial buildings, and disposing of waste on roadsides, would subject an individual to fines of Ksh6 million.