• Catholic parish, Posta staff raise concerns smoke enters their offices from GPO smoking zone.
• Tobacco control head says some people smoke outside the zones, encouraging children to smoke .
Image: FILE
Nairobi is considering closing the five smoking zones within the CBD on grounds they are a nuisance.
They shelter street families, encourage prostitution, lurch children into smoking and fail to meet standards, critics say.
Head of Tobacco Control Unit Anthony Muthemba said the zones are more of a nuisance than a benefit.
He said the areas do not meet the specifications for downtown smoking zones.
“They are unmanned so they become havens for street families, there is prostitution taking place in these places, they are being used as toilets and mugging spots,” Muthemba said.
He said single cigarettes are sold inside by vendors, which is against the law.
Muthemba said it is not the responsibility of the authorities to provide a smoking zone, rather it is the sole responsibility of the smoker to find a place where smoke does not bother nonsmokers.
The CBD has five smoking zones — the Bus Station, Jevanjee Gardens near the Holy Family Basilica, Uhuru Park and down River Road, along Latema Road.
The Tobacco Control Act states that a designated smoking area shall be a room sealed from the floor to the roof. It should be adequately ventilated so exhaust smoke is not a nuisance to the public.
They are unmanned so they become havens for street families, there's prostitution, they are used as toilets and they are mugging spots.Tobacco control boss Anthony Muthemba
No other business or activity should be taking place around a smoking zone.
“We have had complaints about the one at GPO from Teleposta offices and the Catholic parish that the smoke enters those offices," Muthemba said.
He said some smokers smoke outside the smoking zones. This prompted Cardinal John Njue to lodge a complaint.
“He complained to the then county secretary that these areas depict a bad picture to children by portraying smoking as an enjoyable exercise."
The anti-smoking boss said the structures should either be upgraded to comply with the law or demolished.
He said the zones are supposed to discourage the use of tobacco, adding that people waste more than 20 minutes at smoking zones.
“If you are a smoker and you don't have a place to smoke, what will you do? You will not smoke until you are in your private space.," Muthemba said.
WHO says cigarette use in Kenya remains high despite high taxes and laws that ban the sale of loose cigarette sticks and public advertising.
Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer. In Kenya, it is linked to more than 70 per cent of lung cancers, according to the National Guidelines for Cancer Management.
It contributes to other cancers and cardiovascular disease, heart attacks nd strokes.
Edited by R.Wamochie