By Ramadhan Rajab
The Government will ban the export of all scrap metals and used motor vehicle batteries.
In a statement filed yesterday, Industrialisation Minister, Henry Kosgey, said the move, to be instituted after consultations with Treasury, will help cushion and secure local industries that are in dire need of scrap metal.
Closing down
He released the statement after meeting a major local battery manufacturer on the verge of closing down, due to lack of raw materials.
"It is in the best interest of the country to protect locally available raw materials for investors to convert into finished goods for local and foreign markets. This measure will assist in maintaining and creating opportunities for employment," Kosgey said.
John Kinyanjui, the managing director of Associated Battery Manufacturers, said local manufacturers were subjected to unfair competition for lead (a heavy metal) by Asian countries, who are exporting the same from local export processing zones.
Kinyanjui said many countries had restricted exports of lead, creating a worldwide shortage. This has pushed up the cost of processing lead by 300 per cent, creating a huge demand for used batteries.
Tougher standards
He said the imposition of tougher environmental standards in Asia led to the closure of smaller lead smelting industries, some of which have now migrated to Kenya’s EPZs, where standards are more lax. They now buy scrap batteries at prices higher than those prevailing in the international market.
"This has denied local battery manufacturers raw materials at competitive prices, and many are now facing closure," Kinyanjui said.
Kosgey said he was surprised that poisonous substance like lead, that is classified as hazardous under the Basel Convention, is being exported out of the country freely.
He called on the Kenya Bureau of Standards to investigate.
