. Few people understand the specific health risks of tobacco use.
. The government has enforced smoke-free environments to protect non-smokers from tobacco exposure.
Image: FILE
The nicotine found in cigarettes in African countries is 25 per cent more concentrated than the ones sold in Western countries, the Tobacco Control Board has said.
Tobacco use takes an enormous toll on the people of Kenya, and the government has come up with measures to handle the issue.
For more than 23 years, tobacco has been on the public health agenda in Kenya, and on June 25, 2004, Kenya became one of the first countries to sign and ratify the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The treaty establishes evidence-based tobacco control measures, and parties to the treaty are obliged to implement it.
Kenya has enforced smoke-free environments and has ensured that to a large extent smoking only happens in designated areas, protecting non-smokers from tobacco exposure.
Through the 2007 Tobacco Act, cigarette companies were banned from conducting any form of adverting of their products, promotion and sponsorship. This has protected young people from being misled.
By law cigarette packs must have large text warnings giving information on the harmful effects of tobacco use.
The Kenya Revenue Authority has also put in place an elaborate “track and trace” system through its Excisable Goods Management System, which will reduce cases of illicit trade in tobacco products.
The goal is to strengthen tax administration and reduce affordability of tobacco products, especially to the poor and the youth. There has also been more public awareness and education and limited sales to minors, all aiming to reduce tobacco use.
SIN TAX BACKFIRES
The government has over time compounded the heavily regulated market with even more taxation. But stakeholders say this has contributed to the rise of counterfeit and smuggled tobacco.
British American Tobacco, Kenya’s leading cigarette maker, urged the government to review its taxation policy for the tobacco sector, saying it holds back the government's war against counterfeit and smuggled tobacco.
Smokeless tobacco is not safe, either, as it is likely to cause oesophageal and pancreatic cancers. In Kenya, four per cent of tobacco users consume smokeless tobacco (chewing and sniffing).
Only 37 countries, representing 15 per cent of the world's population, have completely banned all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Cigarettes are taxed according to type, as filtered cigarettes retail at Sh1.80 and without filters retail at Sh2.50.
More people die from smoking than from Aids, car accidents, suicide, murder and other drugs combined. Tobacco kills 1,200 people daily.
Four out of five lung cancers are caused by smoking, and nine out of 10 people who get lung cancer die from the disease, usually within two years of diagnosis.
Among smokers who are aware of the dangers of tobacco, most want to quit. Counselling and medication can more than double the chance that a smoker who tries to quit will succeed.
National comprehensive cessation services with full or partial cost coverage are available to assist tobacco users to quit in only 26 countries, representing 33 per cent of the world's population.
Few people understand the specific health risks of tobacco use. Good monitoring tracks the extent and character of the tobacco epidemic and indicates how best to tailor policies.
Only one in three countries, representing 39 per cent of the world's population, monitor tobacco use by repeating nationally representative youth and adult surveys at least once every five years.