Kenya has banned the importation of second hand electronic gadgets into the country from January 2020 as reported by People Daily.
“The move to ban import of old electronic gadgets will be contained in the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations. We are putting strict regulations to deter import of obsolete electronics,” Director of Environmental Education Mr Ayub Macharia said. “By March, these regulations will be operational,” he was quoted as saying.
He reprobated that Kenya has been a victim of e-waste from developed countries, which is actually a huge challenge globally. He spoke about this during the International E-Waste Day at the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Centre in Utawala which offers recycling services to the public.
According to WEEE General Manager, Boniface Mbithi Kenya generates over 44,000 tonnes of e-waste each year. Apparently this figure is higher because we do not have a framework to capture the data. According to mr Mbithi, WEEE only collects 25 tonnes monthly and yet they have the capacity to collect 4 times that.
This move will obviously increase the cost of buying electronics since the importers and sellers will be responsible for the wate. “Those who sell the non-biodegradable equipment will have to adhere to deposit return scheme,” Mr Macharia said. This means a fee will be added on top of the price of the gadget where the buyers will get it back when they take back the product or get a new one by adding a certain amount of money.
A lot of businesses will be affected by this move and could mean they would be forced to sell new electronics.
