You risk getting jailed for carrying non woven bags from today

National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) will from today launch a crackdown against poor quality non-woven bags.

NEMA blames manufacturers for producing poor quality bags  and has warned Kenyans against using such bags or risk being arrested, prosecuted and jailed.

“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. To be clear, from today, non-woven bags are contraband and people will be arrested,” Prof  Geoffrey Wahungu, NEMA Director General  warned.

Prof Wahungu says NEMA had given manufactures and importers of materials ample time to clear their stock before the authority commences implementing the ban.

“At the time we were getting very good gauge and strong bags so we reasoned because it was reusable or had the capacity for reuse, we allowed it to stay. But we have realised this has been abused. The gauge has become so thin. It is unsustainable, it is now a single use, it is plastic, it is non-woven and so it’s a problem,” he said.