The ban on the single-use plastic bags in Kenya in 2017 truly triggered celebrations among the citizens on account that the fruits of this action would be clean towns, markets and acceptable general environment condition within many human habitats in the country.
However, contrary to this, eight years down the line, the illegal return of these single-use plastic bags is now causing worries to the authorities and the general public especially within Migori County.
A spot check within Migori County has found that many streets of urban centres such as Migori, Awendo, Rongo, Isibania and Kehancha are getting chocked up with litter of these bags.
The Kenya News Agency can confirm that these urban set ups and even villages are no longer enjoying the clean environment they experienced when the government was harsh on those handling the bags and campaigned for more environmentally friendly packaging.
Residents now accuse some unscrupulous business people of importing and selling the illegal plastic bags for use in local business outlets in the area.
“We are aware that the bags are being smuggled across our porous borders with neighbouring countries and being sold to shops, bakeries and to mama mbogas in our local towns and markets,” said Mrs. Caroline Awino, an environmentalist in Awendo town.
Awino says that many a time she has witnessed women in the market wrap their vegetables and groceries with the same illegal plastic bags and hand them over to customers.
Days when responsible Kenyans on shopping missions carefully went only for re-usable plastic carriers are fast fading, hence the increase in the volume of the single-use plastic bag litters found on the town streets and in villages.
Those with the urge of eating fruits like bananas, oranges and pineapples have them wrapped in white thin clean polythene papers which they carelessly throw on the way after munching their bites.
The result is a rise in scattered hundreds of white papers that have become an eyesore and environmentally undegradable items in towns, markets and villages.
With the unchecked plastic bottles also compounding the return of the single use plastics, the problem is fast becoming a serious environmental ‘puncher’ especially on the side of Lakes and rivers.
Mr. Paul Odalo, an environment expert from Suna East Sub-County urged the environmental agencies and particularly, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to take charge and mount a massive raid to arrest all those perpetrating the illegal business in the region
The focus must now shift to containing plastic pollution and the overall environmental conservation, he said and stressed on the importance of tree planting activities
“The authority must ask the business community to fully embrace the best alternative for plastics so that we can help the country protect its environment like Rwanda,” added Mr. Odalo.
The County Environment officer (NEMA) Samson Ochweri admitted that the problem is becoming grave every day and that the single-use plastic bags and the plastic bottles have become an environmental hurdle especially to the Lake Victoria and, Rivers Kuja and Migori.
“The aquatic life in these water bodies is being threatened greatly, as well as the drainage systems in towns and markets that are being clogged badly leading to serious flooding during heavy rains,” he explained.
By George Agimba
