NEMA appears to have moved with speed to preclude a suit by the Kitui government against the licensing of the disposal of toxic asbestos waste.
The suit concerns Kiongwe water catchment in Kyuluni ward.
Weeks after county environment CEC Muusya Mwinzi threatened to take legal action, NEMA has dragged a Sonata Kenya director to court.
Noah Khaemba was taken to court on Friday on allegations the firm violated requirements following the issuance of a licence.
Khaemba was arraigned before Kitui principal magistrate Johnson Munguti and charged with offences related to conditions for disposing the waste after Nema issued the licence.
He denied two counts of breaching licensing conditions for the disposal of asbestos waste in Nzambani, Maluma and Ngai Ndethya range in Kitui.
The director also pleaded not guilty to the charge of failing to comply with a NEMA order to restore ares destructed by the waste.
He was released on a Sh200,000 cash bail.
The case will be mentioned on August 4 and heard on October 10.
The Kitui government had threatened to sue NEMA for authoritisng the dumping of waste in the water catchment.
The county said on July 5 that it was preparing suit papers.
Kenya banned the use of asbestos in 2006. It is a carcinogen that the US, UK and 53 other countries around the world have also banned.
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