Economy

Company owner fined Sh100,000 over plastic bags

bags

A woman sorts out plastic bags for reuse. A director of a company in Nairobi’s Industrial Area was on Thursday fined Sh100,000 after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of plastic bags.. PHOTO | FILE

A director of a company in Nairobi’s Industrial Area was on Thursday fined Sh100,000 after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of plastic bags.

Benard Kuria, owner of Pichen Limited, paid the fine instantly and walked to freedom.

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Had he defaulted, he would have been a guest of the State for three months.

Mr Kuria admitted that he was found with 15 bales of proscribed plastic bags during a raid carried out by the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) officials on December 4 at his company.

“The officials while on duty found 15 bales of plastic bags that have been banned inside the company and arrested the owner who is before court,” a prosecutor with Nema told Kibera Chief Magistrate Joyce Gandani.

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Respect the law

Mr Kuria told the court that he was sorry that the new environmental conservation law had caught up with him.

“It’s a new law. I am sorry. I undertake to respect the law. I am a first offender and have cooperated with the police since I was arrested, I ask for leniency,” he said.

In her sentence the magistrate stated that although the charge is serious and attracts heavy penalty, the accused was remorseful and had no previous criminal record.

“You will pay a fine of Sh100,000 or in default serve a three-month jail term. You are warned: Respect the law in it’s entirety,” the magistrate said in her sentence.

She ordered Nema to destroy the bags.

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