Lobby group the Campaign for Safer Alternatives (CASA) has condemned the new tobacco bill as it undergoes its second reading in Parliament, labelling the proposals “regressive,” “misguided,” and “a potential death sentence” for millions of Kenyan smokers.
Following Tuesday’s debate on the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill 2024, CASA chairman Joseph Magero said the bill’s provisions ignore science, public health evidence, and consumer voices.
He warned that, in its current form, the bill would force Kenyan smokers to continue using deadly combustible cigarettes while penalising safer nicotine alternatives such as vapes and oral pouches.
“Instead of protecting public health, this regressive bill condemns 2.6 million Kenyan smokers to an early grave,” said Magero.
“It wilfully ignores overwhelming scientific evidence that modern nicotine alternatives are significantly less harmful than smoking and offer smokers their best chance to quit. Instead of offering a lifeline, it snatches it away.”
Although the Senate Health Committee is yet to table its report on the bill, it is said to support capping nicotine levels and restricting flavours in nicotine products.
CASA warns that such restrictions contradict international evidence and real-world success stories from countries such as the UK and Sweden, where safer alternatives have helped drastically cut smoking rates.
Research consistently shows that reasonable nicotine levels are essential for the effectiveness of alternatives, giving smokers the satisfaction needed to switch from cigarettes.
“Nicotine isn’t what kills, it’s the smoke,” said Magero.
“If nicotine alternatives are too weak to satisfy cravings or stripped of the flavours that make them appealing to adults, smokers simply won’t switch. They’ll keep smoking and dying."
“The real-world evidence is out there: countries that make safer alternatives accessible, affordable, and acceptable see dramatic drops in smoking rates. This misguided bill threatens to do the opposite. By regulating safer alternatives as harshly as cigarettes, it would be a gift to the tobacco industry and a disaster for public health.”
CASA is calling on the Senate to reject these counterproductive provisions and instead adopt a science-led, harm reduction approach that supports smokers in their efforts to quit, not punishes them for trying.
“Twelve thousand Kenyans die every year from smoking-related diseases. Two-thirds of smokers want to quit, yet only a tiny fraction succeed. They need real solutions, not virtue-signalling bans,” said Magero.
“This bill unfairly lumps lifesaving alternatives with lethal products and treats adults like criminals for choosing safer options.”
