Under new regulations being fine-tuned by the Office of the Attorney General, all scrap metal traders will be required to obtain new licensing from the Scrap Metal Council.
Separate and special screening of all copper dealers is proposed in the regulations drawn from the Ministry of Trade and stakeholders’ proposals on the governance of the sector blamed for encouraging the vandalism of essential infrastructure.
Under the regulations that are a prerequisite for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s announcement on January 20, 2022, only the government-owned Numerical Machining Complex will be authorized to buy scrap metal disposed of from key national infrastructure such as roads and railways.
The lifting of the moratorium will be based on compliance with the new laws, said Interior Cabinet Minister Fred Matiang’i, who presided over a meeting on the regulations attended by scrap metal traders and regulatory organizations in the sector.
Read: Uhuru Bans Scrap Metal Dealings Over Vandalism
https://twitter.com/FredMatiangi/status/1504071989052461063
“We are not going to allow the sector to continue operating in an unlicensed manner and no amount of political intimidation or pressure will make us abandon the resolve. We are not building infrastructure for scrap metals vandals,” the CS said.
Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki said he will advise the head of state against lifting the moratorium until the bulk of traders have followed the rules.
“As long as I am the AG of this country, I will not advise the President to lift the moratorium until we have the regulations in place,” said the AG.
A special multi-agency force, said Matiang’i, has been established to protect power lines and other important facilities.
Under the deterrence measures proposed in January, vandals will be punished as economic saboteurs and charged under counter-terrorism laws.
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