•The ministry of environment banned the use of plastic carrier bags through a gazette notice of February 27, 2017.
•Despite the ban by the government, however, plastic bags are still being smuggled into the country .
Image: Gilbert Koech.
The National Environment Management Authority on Monday announced it will carry out a crackdown on banned plastics in the next two weeks.
Those found with banned plastics risk paying a fine of between Sh2 million and Sh4 million, or a jail term of between one and two years, or both.
"Those found with the banned plastics will face the music," Nema director general Mamo Mamo said, adding that the authority will be ruthless in the implementation of the ban.
He made the announcement at the United Nations Complex in Gigiri, shortly after Nema emerged as the second runners-up in this year's United Nations Person of the Year award.
“As a country, we have done well in the enforcement of the single-use plastic carrier bags. We are close to 90 per cent in terms of enforcement,” he said.
Mamo, who was accompanied by Nema board chairperson Eric Mungai, said plastics are still being sneaked into the country.
Nema was recognised for promoting and safeguarding the environment by working on the enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic carrier bags.
The authority was also a key player in working towards the historic plastic pollution resolution adopted by UN member states in March 2022.
The resolution was hailed as the biggest moment for the environment since the Paris Agreement.
In February, at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), a resolution was adopted to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee will consider how to promote sustainable production and consumption of plastics from product design to environmentally sound waste management through resource efficiency and circular economic approaches.
The Ministry of Environment banned the use of plastic carrier bags through a gazette notice of February 27, 2017.
The ban came into effect in August of that year.
Before 2017, about 100 million plastic bags were used in Kenyan supermarkets every year, with severe consequences to the environment.
UNEP says at least 11 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into water bodies every year.
This is the equivalent of one garbage truck being dumped every minute.
Plastics are ingested through seafood, drinks, and even common salt; they penetrate the skin and are inhaled when suspended in the air.
Mungai appealed to neighbouring countries that have not enforced the plastics ban to do so.
“Plastics are getting into the country through our porous borders because they have not been banned in some of the countries,” he said.
Mungai praised his officers, saying they had done the best they could to enforce the ban on plastics.
“We will now redouble our efforts and crack down on some of these points where plastics are coming in,” he said.
Mungai urged the national government to lobby neighbouring countries to enforce the ban.
Edited by A.N