MediaEvolves
In Bungoma county, the National Environment Management Authority has started a campaign to outlaw single-use plastic bags.
The decision was made, according to county Nema director Vincent Mahiva, when it was discovered that businesspeople in Bungoma continue to wrap bread, mandazi, meat, and other items in plastic bags.
Since the county borders Uganda at Malaba, inhabitants have used the permeable border to smuggle plastic bags through.
“I have done my investigations and realised the plastic bags are being sneaked into our territory through the Malaba border, I have announced war on those bringing them,” Mahiva said.
Mahiva reported that seven people were detained for violating the Nema rules during the crackdown last week.
“Nema doesn’t only focus on plastic bags but also ensures that abattoirs, health facilities and hotels work in line with the required standards,” Mahiva said.
Officers from the headquarters participate in the crackdown, and they closely coordinate with the Ministry of Interior.
In order to implement the ban on single-use plastics, Titus Simiyu, acting deputy director of field operations at Nema, told the Star that they had travelled to the counties of Uasin Gishu and Busia.
“In our daily operations, we do not lean on any side, we arrest anybody who has defied our orders,” he said.
