Packaging rule · Kenya · Ban
Ban on plastic carrier bags and flat bags
Ban covering plastic in Kenya, set by Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources; National Environment Management Authority. Applies since 28 August 2017.
The rule
Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.
- Jurisdiction
- Kenya
- Authority
- Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources; National Environment Management Authority
- Rule type
- Ban
- Materials
- Plastic
- Status
- In force Enacted
- Adopted or published
- 28 February 2017
- Applies from
- 28 August 2017
From the source“This Ban on Plastic Bags comes into effect on the 28th August 2017.”
Official source NEMA: Ban on plastic carrier bagsOfficial (government or regulator) · consulted 13 October 2026
Key dates
Adopted or published 9 years ago
Applies from 9 years ago
Source consulted by the SPI team today
What it means
SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.
SPI summary
Use, manufacture and importation of plastic carrier bags and flat bags for commercial and household packaging is banned, with conditional exemptions for primary industrial packaging.
In practice
Kenya has banned the use, manufacture and import of plastic carrier bags and flat bags for commercial and household packaging since 28 August 2017. Bag converters and retailers cannot supply them, and brands using plastic bags as primary industrial packaging need a NEMA clearance letter, labelling and a take-back or EPR arrangement to rely on the exemption. Non-woven polypropylene bags were also stopped by a 2019 directive pending a KEBS standard.
Who is in scope
- Carrier bags with handles, with or without gussets
- Flat bags without handles, with or without gussets
- Use, manufacture and importation for commercial and household packaging
Who is not
- Primary industrial packaging at source not sold at a counter or given away outside an industrial setting, subject to labelling, a NEMA clearance letter and a take-back or EPR scheme
- Biomedical and hazardous waste disposal bags, and garbage bin liners, under labelling and handling conditions
What to do and by when
- NowCheck whether any plastic bag used in Kenya relies on the primary industrial packaging exemption and whether a NEMA clearance letter is in place.
- NowReview labelling on exempt bags to show the manufacturing industry and end user.
- NowMap alternatives such as paper or woven polypropylene and check relevant KEBS standards.
Related rules
- PR-KE-002 Sustainable Waste Management (EPR) Regulations, 2024
Same jurisdiction: EPR regulations covering plastic packaging and products. - PR-IN-004 Ban on identified single-use plastic items
India's single-use plastic ban with carry bag thickness rules. - PR-CO-002 Gradual ban on single-use plastic products (Law 2232 of 2022)
Colombia's ban includes checkout bags in its first phase. - PR-CA-001 Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (SOR/2022-138)
Canada's ban covers plastic checkout bags.
Where the record is unclear
- The source page cites the gazette notice inconsistently as No. 2536, 2334 and 2356.
- Penalties are described on the page as reported fines; draft Plastic Management Regulations setting penalties were awaiting gazettement and their current status was not confirmed.
- Whether a KEBS standard has since been gazetted for non-woven polypropylene bags was not confirmed.
Sources for this note
- NEMA: Ban on plastic carrier bags Consulted 13 October 2026
Note written by the SPI team on 13 October 2026.
Where it sits in the tracker
- One of 2 packaging rules we track in Kenya, of which 1 are ban rules.
- In all, 17 ban rules are tracked across 11 jurisdictions. Compare them below
Change history
Sourced: an SPI analyst recorded the facts above from the official source. A second SPI team member has not re-checked it yet. Every change is logged here.
Changed: rate note
Verified by a second SPI team member
Added to the tracker
Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-KE-001 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.
Ban rules elsewhere
The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.
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