• Data was collected from 200 establishments between 7pm and 2am.
• Report shows ban has been effective in containing shisha use.
Image: MAGDALINE SAYA
Most entertainment joints in Nairobi have complied with the shisha ban, a report shows.
The study was commissioned by the lobby group Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance.
It was conducted between May and June, assessing compliance in bars, nightclubs and restaurants.
The survey sampled 200 establishments within Eastleigh, Westlands, Parklands, Lang’ata, Kasarani, Mathare Valley and Pipeline.
Data collectors visited the venues between 7pm and 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays when shisha use was reportedly most likely to occur.
The study shows Westlands has 100 per cent compliance while Parklands has the lowest at 57 per cent.
Kasarani, Eastleigh, Langata Mathare Valley and Pipeline follow in compliance after Westlands in that order.
“Shisha smoking and/or equipment was most often found in nightclubs (24 per cent) and bars (20 per cent), but was rarely observed in restaurants (five per cent),” the report says.
Explaining why Westlands and Parklands are high and low in compliance level respectively yet they border each other, KETCA chairman Joel Gitali said:
“In Parklands majority of users are university students in nearby universities while in Westlands most of those who live there are high income individuals who tend to be cautious hence behave differently.”
He noted even though the war is far from over, the report is a sign of positive progress.
“We are happy with the results because generally the use was very rampant before the ban. The fact that those who still smoke do it in hideouts means effects of exposure to second hand smoke have gone down,” Gitali noted.
Shisha smoking is a means of consuming tobacco through a water pipe.
The government on December 28, 2017 imposed a ban on shisha. The ban prohibits the import, manufacture, sale, offer for sale, use, advertising, promotion, distribution and encouraging or facilitating the use of shisha.
The report recommends increased surveillance in public places, training of relevant enforcement agencies and raising of awareness among entertainment joints owners and managers, as well as conducting public education campaigns.
The lobby hopes to do a similar study in other counties to ascertain levels of compliance.
Shisha tobacco contains nicotine which is highly addictive and has carcinogens that have been linked to cancers of the mouth, lung, stomach and esophagus.