
NEMA Rounds Up 6 Hotel Owners for Allegedly Illegally Dumping Waste
On Monday, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) arrested officials at five hotels in Kitui town.
According to the authority, the hotel owners were operating without an Effluent Discharge License (EDL), which allows them to discharge treated wastewater into the environment in accordance with Water Quality regulations.
NEMA added that the owners had failed to comply with previous improvement orders.
Along with the hotel owners, NEMA arrested the principal of a medical college in Kitui town for allegedly pumping raw sewage onto a public road.
“They had not applied for Effluent Discharge License- which is illegal as stipulated in the Water Quality Regulations, 2006. The principal was arrested and to answer to the charges,” NEMA added.
Proprietors of Kitui Premier, Summer Oasis, Kitui Resort, Heritage, Park Side Villa hotels in Kitui town have been apprehended for operating hotels without Effluent Discharge License (EDL) that allows them to release treated waste water into the environment in line with the Water… pic.twitter.com/lislqeSgoN
— NEMA Kenya (@NemaKenya) July 1, 2024
All officials will appear in court to face their respective charges. They face varying fines and penalties if found guilty.
Some of the penalties include the closure of the premises, a one-year prison sentence, a Ksh2 million fine, or both.
According to NEMA regulations, all EDLs are issued by NEMA after each facility submits an effluent report and effluent sample analysis results from an accredited NEMA-licensed laboratory.
NEMA previously warned landlords and other property owners against discharging effluent into the environment.
The authority stated that this is harmful to the environment and ecosystem.
The Authority also conducted crackdowns in various parts of the country, making arrests for violating the regulations.
According to the Water Quality Regulations, anyone found guilty faces a Ksh50,000 fine. Upon conviction, the court may also make such additional orders that it may deem fit.
“No person shall throw or cause to flow into or near a water resource any liquid, solid or gaseous substance or deposit any such substance in or near it, as to cause pollution,” read parts of the regulation.
NEMA Rounds Up 6 Hotel Owners for Allegedly Illegally Dumping Waste