As of April 18, 2021, 92 people had been arrested and charged after they were found with plastic bags.
Being found with a plastic bag in Kenya attracts a fine of between Sh2 million and Sh4 million or a jail term of one to two years or both.
Kenya banned the use of single-use carrier bags in February 2017. The ban took effect on August 28 that year.
Before then, about 100 million plastic bags were used in Kenyan supermarkets every year.
Nema is also working with Customs, KRA and the police to enhance surveillance along the porous borders.
The authority had been facing challenges in Garissa, Mandera, Moyale, Busia, Taita Taveta, Namanga and pockets of other border posts.
A study supported by Nema in 2017, showed more than 50 per cent of livestock had ingested plastic.
The study conducted in Dagoretti, Kiserian and the Kenya Meat Commission showed that affected livestock were weak, bloated and produced less milk.
Following the ban, the Kenyan market was flooded with non-woven Polypropylene bags which replaced the carrier bags.
Authorities thought the non-woven bags would bear positive characteristics in terms of reusability and durability as opposed to the conventional plastic carrier bags.
However, due to the rising need of the non-woven bags in the market, Nema noted over time that manufacturers of these bags were producing very ‘low gauge’ poor quality non-woven bags.
The bags, according to Nema, could not be used multiple times but are disposed of after single use leading to environmental consequences.
Following the challenges posed by the non-woven bags, Nema directed all manufacturers, importers, suppliers/distributors and users of the bags to stop further manufacture, importation, supply and use by March 31, 2019
The move was meant to give the Kenya Bureau of Standards time to gazette a standard that will inform the quality of non-woven bags needed in the Kenyan market.
