Kenya has carried out the Sustainable Waste Administration (Prolonged Producer Accountability) Rules, Authorized Discover No 176 of 2024, marking a serious shift in how waste is managed within the nation.
Efficient from 4 November 2024, the principles place the onus on producers, importers and model homeowners to handle the complete life cycle of their merchandise.
Below these new prolonged producer duty (EPR) rules, corporations should register with the Nationwide Setting Administration Authority (NEMA), develop take‑again methods, pay charges tied to product volumes, and submit annual stories—all by the compliance deadline of 4 Could 2025.
All entities introducing items, packaging or merchandise into Kenya—whether or not by way of manufacturing, import or rebranding—should register with NEMA and acquire an annual licence.
This consists of importers of listed gadgets, obligated to register and pay EPR charges inside six months of the rules coming into power.
Registration entails submission of a 4‑yr compliance plan and secures a Producer Accountability Quantity crucial for product clearance.
The rules mandate producers to implement take‑again schemes—akin to deposit‑refund methods or assortment partnerships—to make sure put up‑client waste is responsibly collected and processed.
EPR charges, set by the Cupboard Secretary, are paid primarily based on the amount of merchandise positioned available on the market and assist waste infrastructure.
Producers should additionally keep detailed data masking manufacturing volumes, waste assortment, recycling and disposal, submitting annual stories to NEMA and county authorities.
These EPR rules stem from the Sustainable Waste Administration Act of 2022, which codified ideas just like the polluter‑pays mannequin, zero‑waste ideology and round financial system frameworks.
The Act duties the Cupboard Secretary with creating rules to operationalise these ideas, now realised by way of the EPR guidelines.
Earlier measures—together with the 2017 single‑use plastic bag ban—have helped sort out air pollution, however take‑again schemes and obligatory EPR charges signify a extra complete, lifecycle‑centered technique.
Companies are urged to register by 4 Could 2025, design efficient waste assortment programmes, interact with producer duty organisations (PROs), and enhance product recyclability by way of design and client schooling.
Becoming a member of PROs can ease the executive burden, enabling collective compliance. Enforcement shall be strong—corporations failing to register or submit correct information could face authorized motion, monetary penalties or licence revocation.
