The National Assembly committee on Trade said the line ministry has completed drawing regulations and will invite stakeholders and scrap metal traders to give their views.
Regulations are needed to implement the Scrap Metal Act of 2015 and will among others require scrap metal dealers to keep track of the source of their metal in a bid to guard against vandalism.
Kenya is currently grappling with a surge in vandalism of the SGR, power transmission lines, road rails and bridges due to the booming scrap metal demand.
The government is finalising the formulation of regulations that will govern the sale of scrap metal amid a presidential freeze on the trade to curb increasing cases of vandalism.
The National Assembly committee on Trade said the line ministry has completed drawing regulations and will invite stakeholders and scrap metal traders to give their views on Wednesday before tabling them in Parliament for scrutiny within two weeks.
Regulations are needed to implement the Scrap Metal Act of 2015 and will among others require scrap metal dealers to keep track of the source of their metal in a bid to guard against vandalism of infrastructure like bridges, the standard gauge railway, roads and electricity transmission lines.
The push for the regulations comes barely a month after President Uhuru Kenyatta banned the sale of scrap metal until proper guidelines are put in place to regulate the sector.
“The ministry is in the process of making rules that will among others ensure traceability of the scrap metals acquired by the small players. The guidelines to help operationalize the act are ready and will be shared with the sector today, so there is an interface then they are tabled in parliament in two weeks’ time,” vice-chair of the trade committee, Ruth Mwaniki told Parliament on Tuesday.
The Scrap Metal Act was enacted in 2015 but is yet to take effect due to the absence of regulations to govern the scrap metal trade, opening a field day for vandalism of infrastructure projects worth billions of shillings.
Kenya is currently grappling with a surge in vandalism of the SGR, power transmission lines, road rails and bridges due to the booming scrap metal demand.
Vandalism was also partly blamed for the collapse of a tower on the Kiambere-Embakasi high voltage transmission line leading to a nationwide blackout last month.
The blackout prompted President Kenyatta to ban the scrap metal trade that has in turn left dealers and companies that use recycled electronics and metal to manufacture products staring at a bleak future.
Associated Battery Manufacturers (ABM), a local firm that recycles old batteries into pure lead and reusable plastic, last week warned that it will be forced to close down its Sh1 billion plant due to lack of raw materials.
