The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has apprehended two individuals caught burning tires in the open at Sihaam Limited in Rongai, Kajiado County, as part of a wider crackdown against improper waste disposal methods.
Environmental officers from NEMA intervened after discovering the open burning activity at the facility, making immediate arrests on May 26 in what the authority termed a clear breach of Kenyan environmental regulations.
“NEMA environmental inspectors yesterday arrested two persons found burning tyres in the open at Sihaam Limited in Rongai, Kajiado County,” confirmed NEMA.
The authority highlighted that open tire burning is prohibited nationwide and significantly impairs air quality, creating substantial health hazards for communities near such industrial locations.
The two suspects, whose names have not been released, were taken into custody at the scene, with NEMA verifying this as one of their recent enforcement operations under the newly implemented Air Quality Regulations, 2024.
The Air Quality Regulations, 2024 specify that any tire waste burning must occur under NEMA supervision and at a designated, equipped NEMA facility, establishing that private entities lack legal authorization to manage hazardous waste independently.
One authorized facility is Uptex East Africa Limited in Kitengela, Kajiado County, which possesses a NEMA license to operate a recyclable waste transfer station serving both industrial and domestic customers.
Tononoka Paper Ltd in Embakasi, Nairobi processes paper and cotton waste with NEMA approval, while Kitengela Hot Glass in Kajiado repurposes discarded scrap glass into marketable products.
For more dangerous materials such as asbestos, NEMA has established specialized deep-burial landfills, including Quality Inspection Services Limited in Kilifi and Jali Ecosystems Limited in Murang’a, both functioning under rigorous containment measures.
NEMA explains these licensed facilities exist specifically to prevent incidents like the one in Rongai, emphasizing that public assistance in reporting unlawful waste burning is equally crucial as field enforcement efforts.
Individuals illegally burning hazardous materials face penalties ranging from Ksh2 million to Ksh4 million, or prison terms of one to four years.
County-level legislation maintains similar strictness. The Nairobi City County Air Quality Act imposes a minimum fine of Ksh500,000, at least six months imprisonment, or both, for waste burning without proper authorization.
The health consequences are equally concerning. Tire combustion releases carcinogenic substances including dioxins, furans, and heavy metals, all of which markedly degrade air quality and directly endanger human, plant, and animal wellbeing.