Residents Block Kitui-Machakos Freeway in Protest

Residents of Yatta, Machakos County on Thursday held demonstrations and blocked the Kitui-Machakos Freeway protesting a court docket’s resolution to launch a scrap steel supplier.

The offended residents lit fires on the most important freeway, laying stones and tyres throughout the highway and ultimately blocking incoming automobiles from accessing the stretch.

What enraged the residents essentially the most was the truth that its they who rounded him up and took him to the police station the place he was locked up. The locals accused the supplier of being a thorn of their flesh after stealing from them constantly through the years.

Motorists utilizing the highway had been pressured to request related authorities to deploy officers to the realm to comprise the scenario.

Suspected steel sellers have prior to now been arrested aspiring to promote the supplies to secondary sellers in and outdoors the nation.

The scrap steel enterprise in Kenya is ruled by the Scrap Steel Act of 2014, which describes the product as any disregarded wasted alloy or steel.

Based on the Act, anyone aspiring to enterprise into the enterprise or already dealing within the commerce to acquire a license from their county authorities. 

The Act additional requires sellers to register their companies with the Nationwide Atmosphere Administration Authority (NEMA).

To additional guarantee accountability and transparency within the scrap enterprise, NEMA  has prior to now launched extra laws. 

As a part of the necessities, sellers are additionally anticipated to keep up information for all buy and gross sales transactions.

The federal government determined to license the enterprise, after unlawful sellers had been in 2022 arrested smuggling the supplies throughout the Malaba and Namanga borders. 

Individuals discovered working scrap steel companies with out a license are liable to pay a nice of as much as KSh10 million or 10 years in jail.