Kisumu County passes motion pushing for free carrier bags

The Kisumu County Assembly has passed a motion seeking to compel every supermarket and retail shops in the county to stop charging their customers for carrier bags.

The move means retail stores will now be compelled to foot the cost of packaging purchased goods, if Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s government takes the assembly’s decision and implements it.

The House Committees on Environment and Industry is set to develop a report and present it to the House within two weeks before the assembly can pass it to the executive to implement it, as directed by Mrs Linnet Muga, the chair (stand-in Speaker) of the day.

Mr Gard Olima, South West Nyakach Ward representative moved the motion, citing high costs and health issues as reasons for their move to have supermarkets provide the eco-friendly packaging materials for customers.

The national government banned the use of plastic carrier bags last August, citing the environmental damage caused by the bags.

The National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) and other agencies have since enforced the ban.

Responsibilities

Mr Olima accused supermarkets in the county of abdicating their roles and responsibilities of packaging shopping items for their customers, forcing the latter to buy bags to carry their items.

He added that other have to wash and carry the bags they have previously used for their shopping.

This, he said, comes with additional costs and compromises the hygiene and safety conditions of the items bought from the supermarkets.

“The poor and unhygienic handling of shopping items by these supermarkets has worsened the already fragile high cost of living and increased food borne related diseases to the ordinary wananchi, contrary to Public Health Act and its regulations,” said Mr Olima.

His sentiments were shared by his Nyalenda B counterpart Mrs Pamela Odhiambo who said that shoppers have been forced to use one shopping bag to carry all items.

Unhealthy

She said this forces them to mix food stuff with toiletries and other items, which is unhealthy.

“Shoppers are going through a difficult time. We should ensure that the supermarkets and retail shops provide alternative free eco-friendly bags to their customers,” she said

Before the ban, retailers used to offer for free polythene papers for packaging, some of which were branded.

Currently, supermarkets charge from Sh10 to Sh50 for eco-friendly bags depending on the size.

“We will not sit back and let our residents suffer in matters that can be prevented. If implemented the move will cushion it will cushion our people from further costs,” said
Mr Seth Kanga, the MCA for Milimani Market Ward.

Opposed

Some MCAs, however, opposed the motion, arguing that the move to adopt the use of eco-friendly bags should be a concerted effort.

They said the ban was expected to come at a cost that everyone should be willing to shoulder in order to save the environment.

Kaloleni/Shaurimoyo MCA Mrs Pricsa Misachi challenged residents to embrace culture and use baskets.

“In Kenya, we do not have enough baskets in the county. We should manufacture many of these baskets and adopt them to revive our culture,” said Mrs Misachi.

Other ward representatives questioned why products like bread were still being packaged in polythene bags.