A group of five residents have pleaded guilty after being found with banned plastic carry bags. – By Gerald Gekara.
According to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) the five suspects were found in possession of the plastic carrying bags in a sweep in Moyale town.
The five, Mr. Ali Abdi Keynan, Fatuma Rashid, Fatuma Jillo, Ibrahim Dida and Abdi Fatar each pleaded guilty to the offense.
They were given a fine of 20,000/= or an imprisonment term of 4 months.
Since the ban, the government says 80% of the population has stopped using plastic carrier bags.
Anyone found manufacturing, importing or selling a plastic carrier bag could be fined up to Sh. 4.4 million or face a prison sentence of up to four years.
Using the banned bags carries a fine of more than 50,000 or a jail term of up to a year.
So far, fines of between Sh. 50,000 and Sh. 150,000 have been handed out to around 300 people.
