Carrying non-woven bags will land you in jail from Today

Mumbi Mutuko

April 1, 2019 9:20 AM

NEMA begins crackdown on non-woven bags

A hawker selling nonwoven shoping bags

Importers, producers and consumers of the popular polypropylene bags sold in supermarkets and other retail stores risk being arrested if found with the outlawed bags.

National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) had stated it will launch a crackdown against the ‘‘very thin, poor quality non-reusable bags” from the beginning of April 1.

“The penalties are equal to those of banned plastic bags. We are not going to tell them our strategies; that today we will raid Mombasa, Nairobi or Nakuru," Nema boss Prof Geoffrey Wahungu stated.

Nonwoven shopping bags Pulse Live Kenya

Carry at your own risk

"To be clear, from today, non-woven bags are contraband and people will be arrested,” Prof Wahungu warned," he added.

NEMA claimed that it had not allowed the use of the non-woven carrier bags adding that they will not give amnesty to those arrested.

Wahungu asked: “If you want to test if you will be arrested, please don't do that. You all know that we banned plastic bags in Kenya but you ended up producing and importing the same bags that has plastic all over it. What do you expect?”

Refusing to seek advice

According to Prof Wahungu importers and producers of the polypropylene bags should take the blame for refusing to seek advice from NEMA.

A shopper carrying nonwoven bags which have been outlawed by NEMA Pulse Live Kenya

“You should even have consulted the Kenya Bureau of Standards. You refused to heed our calls then later you start crying foul," Prof Wakungu stated.

NEMA maintained it issued clearances of materials that are permitted in the country and non-woven bags was not among them.

Mumbi Mutuko