Former President Daniel Arap Moi’s four-star hotel in Kabarnet town is among 10 private facilities raided by Nema in Baringo on Monday for non-compliance.
Rift Valley Hills Resort, one of the Lake Bogoria Spa group of resorts, was among victims of an impromptu crackdown by the National Environmental Management Authority. Ten people, one from each hotel, was arrested.
Other facilities raided were Sinkoro, Paradise, Sports Line, Lelian, Sizzlers, Thirty-Corners and Capilano hotels and lodges, Kenya Medical Training College, Tobil and Matt energy petrol stations.
“We can never be intimidated by anybody. We are just discharging our duties to crack the whip on any business premise that doesn't comply with our requirements for hygiene,” Nema county director Josiah Nyandoro said.
Among those arrested is Rift Valley Hills Resort manager Oliver Okuku. He was bundled into a police landrover and taken to Kabarnet police station.
Nyandoro said he failed to produce the mandatory Effluent Discharge License.
“We already meet the requirements and had applied for the license but it delayed. We were still waiting for the certificate to be issued to us,” Okuku said.
Nyandoro said most hotels in Kabarnet, Marigat, Kabartonjo and Eldama-Ravine towns were operating without EDL.
“None of these towns has a workable sewerage system, meaning traders discharge both human, food and non-food waste materials carelessly to the environment against the waste management regulations,” Nyandoro said.
He said the business operators had bee given a six-month grace period to comply.
Last week, the authority arrested 17 people from across business facilities in Samburu over non-compliance.
“Majority of them, especially those owned by the prominent individuals, do not have the effluent discharge license,” Nyandoro said.
He said the crackdown will persist. “It is very unfortunate that some traders were still serving customers using polythene bags which were banned a long time ago.”
Those arrested will be taken to court when investigations are complete. "Some are already out on bond pending their court cases,” Nyandoro said.
The suspects may be charged with releasing effluent to the environment. The offence attracts a penalty of not less than Sh2 million and not exceeding Sh4 million or imprisonment of up to four years or both.
Nyandoro said the application fee for the effluent discharge license ranges from Sh25,000 up to over Sh1 million depending on the human accommodation capacity.
Edited by peter obuya
