Factors Influencing Compliance To Environmental Legislation On Polythene Bag Ban In Rongai Sub-county, Nakuru County, Kenya

Polythene bags have been preferred for packaging purposes because they are light in weight, cheap and resistant to degradation. Despite the benefits, poor disposal of polythene causes degradation of soil, water, land and air resources leading to health problems. Burning polythene releases Greenhouse gases mainly Carbon dioxide, associated with Climate change. Furthermore, polythene kills wild game, livestock and aquatic organisms. The adverse effects of polythene bags in the country led to introduction of legislation in the year 2017, banning light weight single-use polythene bags and in March 2019 on polypropylene bags as a mitigation measure. However, Reports of polythene bags presence in the Rongai Sub-County indicate lack of compliance of the legislation. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine factors influencing compliance of environmental legislation on polythene bag ban in Rongai sub-county, Nakuru County, Kenya. The objectives aimed by this research study were to: determine the levels of awareness of the legislation; assess the perceived environmental effects of polythene bags; examine the influence of polythene bag alternatives on extent of compliance of the legislation and establish the extent to which enforcement capacity influence compliance of the legislation on polythene bag ban. This descriptive research design was employed from a target population of 147,017 (18,377 households) and 580 traders, proportionate stratified random sampling of 265 respondents in the five wards were sampled. Six Key informants were selected using purposive sampling; 5 chiefs from respective wards and one Environmental Compliance officer in the Sub-County, bringing a total of 265 in number.