Nema arrests 34
34 persons were detained by the National Environment Management Authority on Thursday in Nairobi County after being found in possession of illegal single-use plastics.
In a sting operation on Wednesday, 19 persons were detained in an effort to sift out the illegal goods.
One of individuals who was detained during the operation on Wednesday was accused of dumping.
A multi-agency team made up of inspectors from Nema, representatives of the National Police Service, and the Nairobi county government are conducting the operation.
Catherine Thaithi, the Nairobi director of enforcement for Nema, coordinated the operation.
“We’ll keep working until we’re confident there aren’t any forbidden plastics in use. Every week, it will be completed, Thaithi stated.
Nationally, there is a crackdown on single-use plastics.
Nema arrests 34
In the sting operation on Wednesday, sellers of the prohibited plastics were apprehended in Wakulima Market on Kamiti Road. They were then brought to City Hall Court to answer to allegations of possessing illegal plastics.
The 19 people who were detained on Wednesday each received a fine of Sh50,000.
All of those detained were drug addicts.
Nema is capturing those who are still creating them by employing intelligence.
15 further persons were detained during the operation that the authorities carried out in Nairobi West, South C, and South B on Thursday.
Restaurants, vegetable vendors, and sugar cane sellers were among those taken off guard.
At the time of publication, they had not yet been charged at City Hall Court.
Through a gazette notification published on February 27, 2017, the Environment Ministry outlawed the use of thin plastic carrier bags.
August of that year saw the implementation of the prohibition.
Such polymers are punishable by a fine of Sh2 million to Sh4 million, a one- to two-year prison sentence, or both.
Before 2017, Kenyan supermarkets used over 100 million non-biodegradable plastic bags annually, having a significant negative impact on the environment.
