Economy

Battery makers query delay in law banning lead export

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Associated Battery Manufacturers (ABM) managing director Guy Jack. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Battery manufacturers have questioned the three-year delay in implementing legislation barring exportation of raw materials by unscrupulous metal traders.

The Scrap Metal Act (2015) demands retention of the raw material for value addition and provides stringent conditions under which exports of lead would be permitted.

Associated Battery Manufacturers (ABM) managing director Guy Jack said numerous enquiries about the status of the Act have not yielded a response from the Ministry of Industrialisation and Enterprise.

“Why would a Ministry take three years to implement a law that is critical to safeguarding jobs for Kenyans and growing the manufacturing sector,” he said.

ABM deals in automotive and solar power batteries manufacturing across the East African region and derives its raw materials from the local market.

ABM and Uganda Batteries Limited (UBL) are the region’s biggest lead acid battery manufacturers, producing an estimated 30 per cent of the East African market requirement.