Kenya to lose 80,000 jobs after banning plastic carrier bag

A ban on plastic carrier bags has come into force in Kenya, which means that from today anyone found selling, manufacturing or carrying them could face fines of 38,000 dollars or prison sentences of four years.

The government says the ban will help protect the environment. But manufacturers of the bags have argued that 80,000 jobs could be lost. A court on Friday rejected a challenge to the ban.

Reports say this is the third attempt in the past 10 years to ban plastic bags in Kenya. A number of other African countries have outlawed plastic carrier bags, including South Africa, Rwanda and Eritrea.