A ban on plastic carrier bags has come into force in Kenya, which means that from today anyone found selling, manufacturing or carrying them could face fines of up to $38,000 (£30,000) or prison sentences of up to four years. The government says the ban will help protect the environment. But manufacturers of the bags have argued that 80,000 jobs could be lost. A court on Friday rejected a challenge to the ban. Kenyans are estimated to use 24 million bags a month. A number of other African countries have outlawed plastic carrier bags, including South Africa, Rwanda and Eritrea.