The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) on Tuesday, May 16, arrested two Chinese road contractors for ignoring its orders.
According to the authority, the two contractors failed to comply with stipulated road licencing regulations.
NEMA stated that it issued orders to the project officer and the construction environmentalist to rehabilitate borrow pits along the Mamboleo Miwani Road but they did not take any action.
“NEMA has today arrested two Chinese contractors on Mamboleo- Miwani Road. They were arrested for failure to comply with restoration orders to rehabilitate borrow pits,” stated NEMA.
Further, the environment management authority noted that the actions of the two contractors endangered the lives of residents who lived within the sites.
The two Chinese Nationals were held up at Kisumu Central Police Station awaiting arraignment in court.
“They endangered the lives of the residents and homesteads within the sites. The duo are held up at Kisumu central police station and will be arraigned in court for failure to comply with the restoration orders,” added the statement.
On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, NEMA re-introduced the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processing and monitoring fees for companies seeking to undertake projects in the country.
The authority noted that the fee was reinstated to safeguard the environment against pollution.
The companies would therefore pay 0.1 per cent of their total project cost, with NEMA setting Ksh10,000 as the minimum fee.
Further, the authority reinstated the Strategic Environment Assessment processing and monitoring fees and the Environmental Assessment Experts' registration and licensing fees.
"The fifth schedule of Environmental (Impact Assessment and Audit) Regulations 2003 as reviewed vide Gazette Notice No. 13211 of 2013 provides for the Environment Institute of Kenya (EIA) processing and monitoring fee, graded fees for registration and licensing of EIA experts among other processing fees," the statement read in part.
