Reduce second-hand vehicle imports to cut pollution

Air pollution has been on the rise in Kenya, with motor vehicles contributing the largest chunk. Going by a United Nations report titled “Actions on Air Quality”, car exhaust fumes contribute 40 per cent of the particulate matter air pollution in towns. The report says that imported second-hand vehicles, frequent traffic jams in urban areas and poor vehicle maintenance, have exacerbated pollution in the country.

According to the Car Importers Association of Kenya, monthly second-hand car imports average between 3,000 and 5,000 units since the Excise Duty Act, 2015 came in place in November 2015. This is against a period when 1,379 units per month was the highest sale of locally assembled and manufactured cars in Kenya in 2016, according to data by the Kenya Motor Industry Association.

Supporting statistics from ‘The Global Fuel Initiative Survey” by the UN Environment Programme, shows the major cause of high pollution rate in Kenya are second hand cars. 

Air pollution has a direct implication to our health. In 2016, the Kenya Economic Survey found that one in four deaths is linked to respiratory diseases caused by air pollution. The “Actions on Air Quality” report shows that more than 14,300 Kenyans die from respiratory health conditions. This can be traced back to air pollution.

MORE EFFORT

With this picture in mind, there is need for more effort to be put into mitigating the effects of second-hand vehicle pollution. Currently, Kenya has made great strides towards containing pollution from car exhaust emissions. We are among the few countries in the world that allow only low sulphur fuels vehicles. The government later passed a law that prohibits vehicles older than eight years from being imported into the country. The intention was to reduce toxic exhaust fumes emitted by cars older than eight years.

The just concluded second East African Manufacturing Conference held in Kigali, Rwanda, resolved to champion for a five-year limit on all second-hand vehicle imports in East African member countries progressively by 2021.

Rob de Jong, the UNEP Head of Transport, noted that if African countries could set an age limit on imports, they could quickly reduce pollution and leapfrog technologies.

Despite all these efforts, there is still need for regulations that prohibit and discourage the dumping of second-hand vehicles in Kenya and promoting locally manufactured/assembled vehicles that are more friendly to the environment.

EMMISSIONS TESTING

According to Section 27 (2) of the Environmental Management and Co-ordination (Air Quality) Regulations 2014, all commercial and public service vehicles should undergo emissions testing annually, while all private vehicles older than five years should undergo emissions testing once every two years. However, although this regulation has been in place for more than two years, Kenya is yet to fully operationalise it.

In support of these guidelines, all vehicles assembled locally undergo engine tests for compliance with guidelines set by the National Transport and Safety Authority through the Government Vehicle Inspection Centre.

On this front, local assemblers have played key roles in partnering with the government and other stakeholders to create guidelines that, if implemented, will play a huge part in ensuring the environment is kept safe with as little emission as possible.

This World Environment Week, I ask that we as a country make hard decisions towards conserving our environment and reducing the air pollution levels through buying locally assembled vehicles and reducing the importation second-hand vehicles.

Rita Kavashe is the managing director of General Motors East Africa.

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