- •Some of the published warnigs appear unclear. For instance, the graphic depicting effect of second hand smoke has a white dribbles covering most of it.
- •Research shows the graphic pack warnings substantially increased health warning effectiveness compared to text-only warning labels, which has always had.
Ministry of Health has published new graphic warnings to should be printed on the packs of cigarettes, nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes sold in Kenya.
This is the first time Kenya is changing the warnings since they were introduced in 2016.
The new warnings are a set of 13 images, some showing that using tobacco causes cancer, death, impotence and harms foetuses.
There is also a warning indicating nicotine pouches are not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
“The Tobacco Control Act, 2007 controls the production, manufacture, sale, labeling, advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products in Kenya. Section 21 of the Act provides that tobacco products manufactured, imported, distributed, and sold in Kenya should contain both text and graphic health warnings,” said Health CS Susan Nakhumicha in a notice.
The ministry has now called public participation sessions to discuss the graphics between May 2 and May 8 countrywide.
“The objectives of the graphic health warnings are to increase knowledge about risks associated with tobacco use, deter initiation to tobacco, reduce tobacco consumption and persuade tobacco users to quit and to break the challenges of languages and the inability to read text-only messages,” Nakhumicha said.
Some of the published warnings appear unclear. For instance, the graphic depicting effect of second hand smoke has a white dribbles covering most of it.
This is also a common complaint regarding old images, where tobacco manufacturers appeared to print the most unclear selection.
The new images were initially discussed by the ministry and a few partners in Naivasha last month.
The law requires the warnings should be changed every two years to convey information on the many harms of tobacco and nicotine products.
There is evidence health warnings on tobacco packaging are among the most direct and cost-effective means of communicating the health risks of tobacco use to the public.
In Kenya, health warnings were introduced as part of the 2007 Tobacco Control Act, which came into force in July 2008 and included requirements for 13 rotating text-only health warnings in both Kiswahili and English.
In 2014, the government introduced the Tobacco Control Regulations which included 15 new images of smoked and smokeless tobacco packages.
The regulations were to be implemented in June 2015 but were delayed due to a legal challenge by cigarette manufacturers, who lost the case at the supreme court. The images were still introduced beginning September 2016.
Research shows the graphic pack warnings substantially increased health warning effectiveness compared to text-only warning labels, which has always had.
One study, “Quasi-experimental evaluation of Kenya’s pictorial health warnings versus Zambia’s single text-only warning: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project,” found that 27.8 per cent of Kenyan smokers were more likely to forgo a cigarette due to the graphic pack warning labels compared to 18.5 per cent of smokers viewing the text-only warnings.
“Kenya’s example offers the latest evidence that graphic pack warning labels work. With a database of tried and tested images and research all countries should follow suit,” the study by researchers from Kenya Medical Research Institute, the University of Nairobi, and other institutions, showed.
It is published in Tobacco Control BMJ Journal.
The Ministry of Health is also leading a controversial amendment to the Tobacco regulations of 2014 to bring new nicotine products under regulation.
It follows a push by the World Health Organization for governments to regulate novel tobacco and nicotine products because of the growing nicotine addiction crisis.
However, tobacco companies are fighting the move behind the scenes as they have invested heavily in alternative products such as nicotine pouches and vapes.
Many tobacco control organisations in Kenya, including government institutions, complain they have been sidelined in the exercise.
They said the new nicotine and tobacco products are currently marketed in different fruity flavours to attract children and youths.
“This (review) will ensure regulations to stop the early onset of tobacco use by children and young adults. According to WHO, the usage rate of e-cigarettes amongst Children (13–15 years) is higher than adults in all WHO regions,” Thomas Lindi, national coordinator of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (Ketca), the CSO’s umbrella body, said last month.
He added: “Emerging tobacco products like nicotine pouches, should be banned. Other tobacco products should bear high-resolution graphic images to show their true impact. Additionally, promotions and sales targeting children through social media and influencers should also be considered during the review.”
The WHO’s most recent analysis of emerging tobacco and nicotine products says these products are harmful.