Kenya has become the latest African country to completely ban the import, production, and use of plastic bags. This ban also applies to foreign tourists, who often pack their belongings in plastic bags before placing them in their suitcases. Fines for violations are draconian.
According to RATA-News, violators of the bag ban face fines ranging from $19,000 to $38,000 or four years in prison. Despite the unprecedentedly harsh penalties for violators, the new Kenyan law has received support from the UN. Experts estimate that Kenyan supermarkets distribute 100 million bags annually. The new ban will only exclude garbage bags and industrial plastic packaging.
According to the law, police have the right to detain anyone found in possession of a plastic bag, placing foreign tourists unaware that importing and using bags is a crime at risk. According to Kenyan Environment Minister Judy Wakhungu, the law will not be strictly enforced, and the focus will be on bag manufacturers and stores. However, the Ministry of Tourism emphasizes that compliance with the new ban is "mandatory for everyone."
Similar measures to protect the environment from plastic pollution are in place in Rwanda, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mauritania, and Malawi, but only Kenya faces such severe penalties for violators.
Source: travel.ru