Throwing trash out of car window attracts 6 Million express penalty, NEMA says.
Frank Semata 
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has introduced an express penalty scheme for environmental breaches.
This among others includes littering from cars or driving without a dustbin which attracts an express penalty of 6,000,000 or risk prison sentence.
The express penalty scheme is intended to deter non-compliance to environment laws and to prevent environmental degradation through payment of monetary penalties (fines)
The announcement was made yesterday during a press briefing at Uganda Media Centre, officials say that the fines will be effective from 1st, April 2023 which is in line with section 174 of the National Environment Act, No.5 of 2019.
The Executive Director of NEMA, Akankwasah Barirega said that among the breaches that will attract penalties or prosecution include,
“Commencing activities before obtaining a certificate, missing to conduct an annual environment audit, open burning of waste, irresponsible waste disposal, dumping and backfilling wetlands, lakeshores and river banks, driving a car without a dustbin, breaching any condition of NEMA certificate, among others.” Barirega said.
He noted that, “The fines payable for specific environmental breaches are a computation of currency points where one currency point is equivalent to 20,000shs.”
Some of the key offences include;
Waste management - Leaving rubbish outside residential premises, littering from commercial buildings, depositing waste on roadside/water bodies, littering from cars or driving without dustbin attracts 6Million fine.
Producing/Importing/Exporting/manufacturing plastic carrier bags / plastic products made of polymers of ethane that are below 30 microns attract up to 100 Million fine among others.
