Editor's Review

  • Nema warns Kenyans against buying products packaged in banned plastic bags.
  • The agency said people found carrying items in plastic bags will be arrested.

Traders were arrested on Thursday, February 11, 2021, in Embakasi East, Nairobi County, after they were found using banned plastic bags.

A crackdown by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) kicked off following reports that the banned plastic bags were being used in various markets.

“We started on Monday across the country. In Nairobi, we began the exercise yesterday in Embakasi East. Our target was especially the market that is near Embakasi police station,” Nema deputy director of enforcement Salome Machua stated.

Crackdown

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“They are currently booked at the Embakasi police station. Those found using the single-use polythene bags include butchery attendants, mama mbogas, and miraa traders. On-road reserves, we arrested some sugarcane vendors," she continued.

Nema will also start arresting people found carrying goods packaged in plastic bags.

In 2017, Kenya outlawed the manufacturing, sale, and distribution of plastic carrier bags.

Plastic bags are the number one challenge for urban waste disposal in Kenya, particularly in the poorest communities where access to disposal systems and healthcare is limited.