The Ministry of Health has begun the process to amend the Tobacco Control Act to restrict nicotine products.
According to the ministry, the current Tobacco Control Act passed in 2007, did not anticipate non-tobacco products such as nicotine pouches.
The highly addictive products, which include e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, are popular among Kenyan schoolchildren and adolescents.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said the Tobacco Control Board has begun revising the act to adapt to shifts in the tobacco industry, notably the rise of new tobacco products and come up with new regulations.
“The objective is to fortify the legislation to more effectively govern the production, sale, advertising and consumption of tobacco products,” the ministry said.
“This overhaul seeks to pinpoint and rectify any inadequacies or gaps to bolster tobacco control measures and uphold public health standards,” it said.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in January, Dr George Githuka, from MoH’s drugs and substances control division said the amendments will also restructure the solatium compensation fund, so the civil society can access funds.
The fund is a contribution of two per cent of the value of the tobacco products sold.
The government is required to spend money on tobacco control research, cessation and rehabilitation programmes, according to the 2007 Act but it has never been implemented.
“We are looking at reviewing the Tobacco Control Act and its regulations to not only cover nicotine products but also anticipate what will come in the future,” Githuka said.
“We do want to deepen our collaboration with partners in tobacco control.”
The World Health Organisation warns that these emerging products which are touted by tobacco companies as helping in smoking cessation harm brain development and cause other health problems.
The WHO data shows that tobacco kills more than eight million people each year globally, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke.
The Global Health Agency further warns that all forms of tobacco use are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco.
“Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco. This spending behaviour is difficult to curb because tobacco is so addictive,” WHO says.
Githuka said that even though the tobacco industry said these new would reduce dependence on cigarettes. But actually, they increase the risk of people smoking tobacco and the use of conventional cigarettes,” he said in Nairobi.
