The Ministry of Health has promised stiffer tobacco control policies to stem the rising burden of cancer and other non-communicable diseases.
Public Health PS Mary Muthoni said the latest data reveals a significant drop in smoking rates within Kenya, from 22.6 per cent in 2015 to 11.6 per cent in 2022, highlighting the effectiveness of ongoing tobacco control efforts.
“As a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control since 2004, Kenya is committed to implementing its provisions, as evidenced by the comprehensive domestication of the treaty through the Tobacco Control Act of 2007 and the Tobacco Control Regulations of 2014,” she said.
According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use is the biggest preventable cause of cancer and NCDs.
In 2023, about 42,000 Kenyans received a cancer diagnosis. The disease, which refers to about 100 closely related conditions, kills about 27,092 Kenyans every year.
PS Muthoni is attending the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Panama.
The convention’s 183 parties, representing more than 90 per cent of the world’s population, work together to enhance and advance tobacco control.
In the first 20 years of this century, tobacco prevalence among adults fell from nearly 33 per cent to 22 per cent globally, even though the planet’s population has continued to expand, WHO said.
PS Muthoni said the Kenyan delegation is advocating for stronger measures to curb smoking prevalence, and use of the highly addictive nicotine pouches.
Civil society, led by the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance, is also attending the meeting.
“Kenya has emerged as a regional and global leader in FCTC implementation, showcasing best practices in legislation, illicit trade elimination, taxation, smoke-free policies, advertising bans, and mitigation of tobacco industry interference and international policy development,” Muthoni said.
Dr Adriana Marquizo, head of the secretariat of the WHO FCTC, welcomed attendees and warned of the increasing availability of novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products.
"These are becoming a very troubling problem with an alarming increase in the use of these products by young people," Marquizo said. "Part of this increase is due to disingenuous tobacco industry messages portraying these products as a replacement for real tobacco control measures, as the industry again tries to claim a seat at the table – as part of the solution to an epidemic that the industry created and continues to sustain."
Marquizo asked everyone to be alert to the relentless interference of the tobacco industry in every corner of the world, noting "the efforts that the tobacco industry has undertaken in trying to derail not only COP10 but each and every COP."
COP is the governing body of the WHO FCTC and comprises all parties to the convention. It keeps under regular review the implementation of the convention and takes the decisions necessary to promote its effective implementation.
The conference will consider a wide range of work to direct the future of the WHO FCTC in its efforts to fight the tobacco pandemic, which kills 8.7 million people worldwide every year.
This is the first in-person COP since 2018, with earlier meetings held remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Ministry of Health, cancer incidence continues to grow.
At least 58,000 Kenyans will be diagnosed with cancer every year from 2028, based on the growing incidence of the disease.
“Going by the current trends, it is projected that there will be an estimated 58,000 new cancer cases in Kenya in the year 2028 increasing to an estimated 95,217 incident cases by 2040,” the ministry says in the National Cancer Control Strategy (2023–2027).
Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya after infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha recently said many of these cases could be prevented.
“About 40 per cent of all cancers can be prevented through avoidance of known modifiable risk factors, immunisation and making our living environment healthier,” she said.
“This means that out of the 42,116 cases of cancer diagnosed every year in Kenya, around 16,846 could be prevented.”