Traders and small business owners in Nakuru and Kinangop have claimed that they are being forced to part with their hard-earned money as police and county askaris exploit the newly-effected plastic ban.
This comes in spite of an assurance from Environment Cabinet Secretary Judi Wakhungu that the ‘kadogo economy’ (small scale traders) would initially be spared arrests and huge fines as they crack down on importers and manufacturers.
As the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) dispatched officers across the country, police and county askaris were out to turn an environmental campaign into a cash cow.
Women trading at Kinangop’s Engineer market experienced this greed first-hand when the market was raided and a number of them arrested.
They were later released in unclear circumstances, with some alleging they had to part with Sh500- Sh 1000 to secure their release.
Small business owners in Ol Kalou were also a target of unscrupulous county askaris who went around shops checking for plastic bags and allegedly demanding bribes.
This comes in total disregard of a NEMA statement released on Tuesday that put on hold the arrest of members of the public over the ban.
Traders have been finding alternative packaging material suitable to their enterprises’ needs.
The plastic ban officially came into effect on Monday, August 28th after being on the cards for years. It has been lauded by environmental awareness groups as a bold and decisive action by Kenya on the green front.
It has, however, also led to the closure of factories whose core business was the production of plastic bags.
The ensuing job losses in the wake of the ban saw employees of plastic manufacturing companies stage a protest from Industrial Area to NEMA offices along Popo Road in Nairobi.
Kenyans are now forced to comply with the new law of the land or face jail time or fines of up to Sh 4,000,000.
