A Kenyan developer will serve a jail term of two years for violations of his National Environmental Management Authority(NEMA) license.
The accused was also fined Ksh500,000 for breaching the terms of his license that strictly forbade him to extend his working period past 5 pm.
While appearing in court, the developer pleaded guilty to his charges before Resident Magistrate William Tullel of Kibera Law courts.
In the evening hours of March 22, 2022, the offender was caught undertaking construction works on a residential building along Ole Shapara Road in South C, Nairobi.
NEMA officials who acted to complaints raised by members of the public swooped in and apprehended him at his work station.
An environmental inspector who accompanied police officers requested the developer who was the in-charge, to produce his license which was the first exhibit in the case.
He was also accused of failing to provide buffers to protect the public from falling objects and duct screens too.
NEMA issues an array of environmental licenses and permits.
The licenses cut across Environmental Impacts Assessment(EIA), effluent discharge, import-export for controlled substances among others.
Other permits cut across access to genetic resources, transboundary movement of waste, and sand harvesting sale and transportation.
"We acknowledge receipt of duly filled applications within seven days. Thereafter, we issue Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) licenses within 45-90 days as stipulated in the Environmental Impact Assessment/Audit (EIA/EA) Regulations, 2003," the agency says on its website.
Violations of the license include failing to put up a signboard as per the standards set by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, working without the authority's approval and constructing past the scheduled time.
