Nairobi vendors charged over plastic ban

Social media users in Kenya have come out in support of three vendors who were arrested for using plastic bags. The men were selling fruit and sugar cane in Nairobi when they were detained and charged. BBC News reports that Kenya has some of the harshest penalties in the world. Offenders face prison sentences or fines of up to $40 000. The National Environment Management Authority said the suspects were found with about 500 plastic bags in their possession on Monday. According to the UN, about 100m plastic bags were given out by Kenyan supermarkets every year before the law was passed in 2017. The ban followed moves to outlaw plastic bags in other African countries including Rwanda and Morocco, with Tanzania following suit in 2019.