Private and public service vehicles will soon begin undergoing annual inspection to ensure they don't release excessive exhaust fumes.
The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has indicated it will begin enforcing the requirement, which is contained in the Air Quality Regulations that were gazetted in 2014, in the next six months.
According to the regulations, all private and public vehicles will undergo emission tests annually. Private vehicles that are over five years old will undergo the tests once every two years.
The vehicles are required not to release visible fumes from their exhaust pipes or they will be forced off the road. This comes amid increasing concerns that air pollution is the main cause of deadly diseases such as heart disease, acute respiratory diseases, lung cancer and stroke among others. The inspections will be carried out in partnership with the Kenya Bureau of Standards or accredited emission vehicles testing centres countrywide. Under the regulations, Nema can order at any time the inspection of a vehicle releasing visible exhaust emissions.
Air quality
READ MORE
Thome estate residents protest new highrise property developments
Why court rejected bid to withdraw case against Maasai Mara hotel
Nakuru Milimani residents sue golf club, nightclub over noise pollution
Nema Deputy Director Environmental Awareness Betty Nzioka said they would soon begin public awareness before they started enforcing the regulations.
She said Nema is in the process of setting up structures to ensure the requirement is realised, including identifying accredited centres where inspection will take place.
"The law does not allow us to enforce the regulations without first conducting public awareness and engaging relevant players but as soon as we finalise, we will be ready to implement," she said.
She added: "We will begin our awareness campaign and enforcement in major urban centres, where air quality is poorest partly due to vehicles that release excessive fumes into the atmosphere."
According to the regulations, no person shall cause or allow the emission of visible air pollutants from a stationary vehicle in excess of limits set out in the standards.
Vehicle owners who flout the regulations will get a Sh500,000 fine, six months in jail, or both if convicted. Among the pollutants targeted include hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide among others.
