Automobile battery manufacturers in the country are facing a serious shortage of raw materials as unscrupulous traders embark on the illegal export of used batteries to neighbouring countries.
Battery manufacturers use lead extracted from used batteries as the raw material and with supplies dwindling, they now face a bleak future.
In a statement, Associated Battery Manufacturers (ABM) Managing Director Guy Jack said if not well handled, the smuggling would stifle the sector and render many jobless.
The manufacturers want surveillance intensified along all the border entry points, which are used to smuggle the batteries to Uganda and Tanzania.
Jack said his firm has been collecting an average of 1600 tons of used Lead Acid Batteries per month over the past two years and is now staring at a serious shortage as the illicit business thrives.
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“Supplies started dwindling from August 2019 with the supply going as low as 900 tons by December last year,” Jack lamented.
He adds that the decreased figures in used batteries supply shows that Kenya is losing through illegal export about 600 tons a month and the quantity continues to grow month by month.
“The used lead-acid batteries are finding their way to Uganda and Tanzania through porous borders where lead is recovered and exported to the Far East for the manufacture of Automotive and Solar Batteries,” he explained.
Currently, Tanzania has five operating facilities while Uganda has four lead recycling plants and players in the local industry are warning that with an increased appetite for a cheap lead they are likely to scale down their workforce to march the competing market.
The manufacturers are however commending the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for its efforts in preventing the export of used batteries.
