NEMA challenged on penalty scheme implementation
By Mike Sebalu
Environmentalists have challenged the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to ensure that the waste bin Express Penalty Scheme directive does not end up as one of the usual empty rhetoric but walk the talk this time.
The call was made by Jamimah Kasibo, an advocacy officer at Citizens’ Concern Africa (CICOA), a non-government organization focused on promoting the sustainable management of natural resources in Uganda.
The call comes at a time when the environment management body is planning to enforce provisions of the NEMA Act in relation to various offences including littering, noise pollution, and encroachment on wetlands among others.
The move announced on February 8th has since drawn mixed reactions from various stakeholders including public transporters and the Uganda Law Society, prompting its suspension for 30 days.
NEMA on Friday suspended implementation of the directive that would require all vehicles to have waste bins and motorists found without them would be fined Shs6 million from April 1st.
Speaking to KFM, Kasibo said that although they do welcome the otherwise well-intentioned waste bin directive which is meant to address a number of environmental problems like pollution, flooding, and degradation, they are skeptical about its effective implementation by NEMA.
Speaking to NTV on Tuesday morning, the authority’s Executive Director, Dr.Akankwasa Barirega outlined NEMA’s plan for implementation of the EPS for environmental breaches, revealing plans to work closely with the leadership of different cities across the country to provide waste bins on main streets.
