Minister of state for Investment and Privatization, Evelyn Anite has said that the government will soon implement the total ban of use and manufacturing of polythene bags (kaveera) in the country.
” Our government policy of banning kaveera is not going to be frustrated because we are protecting the environment. We will not leave our suppliers without any packaging materials because they have started manufacturing packaging materials other than kaveera ( polythene bags),” Anite said.
Speaking during a tour of crane paper bags Limited in Bweyogerere, Anite told the press that government has built enough capacity to manufacture paper packaging materials as opposed to the use of polythene bags.
” We do have the capacity to meet the demands, because this is not the only factory manufacturing packaging materials. I do know of 5 other factories that manufacture packaging materials. Their biggest challenge has been demand because our population was fixed on using kaveera,” she said.
Anite was accompained Morrison Rwakamba, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) Board Chairman and Robert Mukiza, the Uganda Investment Authority ‘s Director General.
Robert Mukiza, the Uganda Investment Authority Director General told Journalists that they will be offering support to companies that produce environmental friendly products with speedy acquisition of licenses.
“In the meantime the local investors that have invested in the environmentally friendly industries should come get our licenses. We give licenses within an hour. If all your documents are there, we will support you and give you licenses so that you can take advantage of the incentives at Uganda Investment Authority,” Mukiza said.
” We don’t give a factory a license to start operating without the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) clearance. So, all our industrial park operations are compliant with the environment rules of the country.”
In 2017, Parliament passed the National Environment Bill clause 75 which seeked that the Minister may by regulation, prohibit or restrict the import, export, local manufacturers, use or reuse of all categories of polythene bags of less than 30 microns.
However, the law has remained on paper because of the uncoordinated directives of implementing the bill within different government enforcing agencies.
The environmental conservation agencies have not given up on putting pressure on the government to implement the law because Kaveera is harmful to both the environment and human health.