The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) on Thursday, February 13, issued a notice to companies over the registration of toxic and hazardous industrial chemicals and materials.
In a statement released on Thursday, NEMA urged people to comply with the Environment Management and Coordination (Management of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Materials) Regulations set under the Environment Management and Co-ordination Act.
“The public is notified that a person who intends to import, export, manufacture, distribute or supply toxic and hazardous industrial chemical or material shall apply for its registration,” NEMA stated.
The regulatory body issued the notice two months after the regulations became law through a Gazette notice on November 4, 2024.
NEMA officials and other site personnel during an enforcement exercise in Nairobi on February 12,2025.
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NEMA
Aside from the manufacture, import, export, distribution, and supply of toxic and hazardous industrial chemicals, the law also covers the transport, storage, handling and disposal of the same.
The application process for registration covers four parts; personal details, chemical details, chemical characteristics, and other relevant characteristics. Persons seeking to register are required to submit the forms in triplicate and soft copy as well as having an application reference number.
In the personal details section, one is required to provide the name of the applicant, postal and physical address, fax, telephone, email address, certificate of incorporation/registration, and PIN. Other areas are the category of applicant(manufacturer, agent, exporter, and importer) as well as the name and address of the manufacturer.
The chemical details section is composed of the common name of the material, chemical or material name, and structural formula of the major active ingredient. Other areas are the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) number and the Harmonized System (HS) number.
A CAS number is a unique identifier for chemical substances while a HS number is a unique six-digit code that identifies a product for custom purposes.
In the third section of chemical characteristics, registration is set according to five parameters. The first is the toxicity of toxic and hazardous industrial chemicals and materials to test animals. In this regard, toxicity to bees, fish, birds, soil microorganisms, and toxicity to others must be filled.
Other areas in chemical characteristics are persistence in the environment, safety measures, and registration numbers and references of the product in the country of origin and any other country where it is marketed. Also, one is required to state whether the product is authorized to be on the market in the country of origin with evidence.
The final part consists of other relevant information such as handling, storage, and transportation information, indication of the type of packaging materials, and methods of disposal.
Standard requirements such as the signature of the applicant, date and seal or stamp and designation (if company) are part of the application form.
A section of a construction site whose contractor was arrested by NEMA on February 12, 2025, over safety and legal concerns.
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NEMA