NAIROBI, Kenya – Five suspects have been arrested after National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) enforcement officers raided a facility in Njiru where banned plastic carrier and flat bags were allegedly being manufactured.
NEMA said its officers seized 90,695 single-use plastic bags during the operation and arrested the owner of the facility alongside four other suspects.
The five were taken to South B Police Station and later released on cash bail pending their arraignment at Kibera Law Courts.
“The team seized 90,695 single-use banned plastic bags and the suspects were booked at the South B Police Station and thereafter released on cash bail pending arraignment at Kibera Law Courts,” NEMA said.
NEMA Intensifies Plastic Ban Crackdown
The operation is part of a nationwide crackdown by NEMA targeting the manufacture, importation, sale and use of banned plastic carrier and flat bags.
The Authority reiterated that the ban remains in force across the country as part of measures to protect the environment and curb the effects of single-use plastics.
NEMA warned that individuals found violating the ban could face criminal penalties under Section 144 of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA).
According to the Authority, convicted offenders face fines ranging from Sh2 million to Sh4 million, imprisonment for between one and four years, or both.
Seized Equipment To Be Destroyed
NEMA further said manufacturing equipment and materials seized during enforcement operations would be permanently forfeited and destroyed.
The Authority urged manufacturers, traders and members of the public to comply with the plastic bag regulations, warning that enforcement operations would continue across the country.
