Nairobi — Parliament has passed the Plastic Control Bill, which seeks to regulate the production, distribution, consumption and disposal of plastics.

Yatta MP, Mr Charles Kilonzo (ODM-Kenya), who brought the Motion, said the management of plastic waste has been a concern for the Government and manufacturers.

He noted that the plastics industry employed about 18,500 people. The sector has a monthly production capacity of 15,000 tonnes.

However, the country lacks legal framework on how plastics can be disposed, he said.

Kilonzo stated that local authority bylaws were outdated and therefore impotent.

Supporting the Motion, Water Assistant minister, Mr Danson Mungatana, said plastics had become an eyesore.

He told the House that roads from Nairobi to his Garsen constituency were littered with plastic bags.

Mungatana called for the establishment of a Plastic Control Authority with prosecutors appointed by the Attorney General to charge offenders.

The Minister for Public Health and Sanitation, Mrs Beth Mugo, complained that plastics had blocked sewers.

Basic Education Assistant minister, Prof Ayiecho Olweny, called for a ban on imported plastics, which are not biodegradable.

Assistant Minister for Public Health and Sanitation, Mr James Gesami, said the Public Health Act had not been implemented. He blamed the increase of malaria cases to stagnant water caused by blockages.

Nominated MP, Mr Rachael Shebesh, asked Kilonzo to consult the jua kali sector on the effects of the Bill.

Responding on behalf of the Minister for Environment, Mr John Michuki, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka said Rwanda had banned plastic bags.

And Beneficiaries of ill-gotten wealth were put on notice with the publication of a Bill seeking to criminalise money laundering.

The Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Bill 2008, which was published last Friday, spells out tough measures to combat the vice, including seizure of corruptly acquired assets and freezing of bank accounts.

The Bill imposes stiff penalties for failure to report suspected cases of money laundering, failure to comply with a court order or obstructing implementation of the law.

An individual who is convicted of any of the offences could face a seven-year jail term or a fine of Sh2.5 million.