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One individual has been taken into custody after officers from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), working jointly with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), discovered an operation manufacturing banned single-use plastic bags in Chuka area, Tharaka Nithi County.<\/p>\n
In a statement posted by NEMA, the authority said the raid was conducted on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, following an operation targeting illegal plastic production and distribution networks.<\/p>\n
During the operation, officers seized three plastic manufacturing machines alongside large quantities of black and transparent plastic bags believed to be intended for the local market.<\/p>\n
“NEMA Kenya and KRA officers uncovered illegal manufacturing of banned single-use plastic bags in Chuka area, Tharaka Nithi County. Three machines and large quantities of black & transparent plastics were seized,” the statement reads.<\/p>\n
NEMA said the individual was taken into custody as investigations continue.<\/p>\n
The operation forms part of sustained nationwide enforcement aimed at curbing the manufacture, importation and use of banned plastic carrier bags under its\u00a0SayNoToPlastics campaign.<\/p>\n
Kenya introduced one of the world\u2019s toughest bans on plastic carrier bags in August 2017, prohibiting their manufacture, sale and use. <\/p>\n
The move was aimed at addressing the growing problem of plastic pollution, which had become a major threat to ecosystems, wildlife, drainage systems and human health.<\/p>\n
Under the Constitution of Kenya, every person has the right to a clean and healthy environment and a duty to safeguard and enhance the environment for present and future generations. <\/p>\n
The Constitution further obligates the State to ensure sustainable exploitation, utilisation and conservation of the environment and natural resources, and to establish systems of environmental impact assessment, monitoring and audit.<\/p>\n
In line with this constitutional framework, environmental laws provide for stiff penalties against individuals or entities found manufacturing or trading in banned plastics.<\/p>\n
Pursuant to Article 42 and Article 69 of the Constitution, as read together with the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act and regulations on plastic carrier bags, offenders are liable to a minimum fine of Sh2 million or imprisonment for at least one year, or both.<\/p>\n
Courts may also order the forfeiture and destruction of seized materials and equipment used in the activity.<\/p>\n
NEMA, established under the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (EMCA), is mandated to exercise general supervision and coordination over all matters relating to the environment. <\/p>\n
Its functions include enforcing environmental regulations, issuing licences, conducting inspections, and prosecuting offenders who violate environmental laws.<\/p>\n
The authority has, in recent years, intensified collaboration with agencies such as KRA, the police and county governments to dismantle illicit plastic manufacturing rings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One individual has been taken into custody after officers from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), working jointly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[9517,9519,80,9518,3823,9516,100,9520,101,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-14254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kenya","8":"tag-chuka","9":"tag-crackdown","10":"tag-kenya","11":"tag-kra","12":"tag-nema","13":"tag-plastic-manufacturing-machines","14":"tag-star-news-kenya","15":"tag-suspect-arrested","16":"tag-the-star","17":"tag-the-star-newspaper"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}