A third of all youths in Kenyan cities are hooked on tobacco products, the Ministry of Health says.
Th ministry is calling it one of the biggest public health threats the country faces.
Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache said the finding comes from a survey conducted by the Tobacco Control Board in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.
Mochache spoke on Tuesday at the University of Nairobi where the ministry and the board organised the World No Tobacco Day celebrations.
The survey was done in March and reached at least 600 youths.
Mochache said at 36 per cent, the uptake of tobacco products among young people is worrying because it is three times the rate of smoking among adults, which stands at 11 per cent.
“Half of the youths using tobacco and nicotine products said they were influenced by their friends and peers so the TCB should immediately use these preliminary results to increase awareness,” she said.
Members of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance, the umbrella body of civil society groups involved in tobacco control, were also present.
Mochache noted that tobacco use directly kills 9,000 Kenyans every year, according to the Kenya STEPwise survey for non-communicable diseases risk factors.
She blamed the high uptake among youths on the influx of new products such as electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems.
These highly -addictive products are currently gaining popularity often due to the mistaken belief that they are less hazardous to health. They include e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and vapes.
TCB chairperson Nancy Gachoka said the industry was clandestinely advertising these products through social media.
“However, all forms of tobacco are lethal. There is no safe amount of poison,” she said.
“The lies that there can be harm reduction in tobacco control will decimate our own youths and children.”
She said all tobacco and nicotine products must carry graphic health warnings as required in the Tobacco Control Act 2007.
“We cannot go against the law to promote profits at the expense of human life,” Gachoka said.
The World Health Organization leads the WNTD celebrations across the world on May 31 every year to inform the public about the dangers of using tobacco.
Scientific evidence shows tobacco eventually kills half of its users. Globally, tobacco kills more than eight million people each year through diseases such as cancers, heart illnesses, diabetes and miscarriages.
To address the epidemic, WHO member states adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2003.
The theme this year was “Protect The Environment” because tobacco production harms the environment through pesticide use and deforestation.
This year, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also awarded Kenya health advocate Joel Gitali the WHO global prize for devoting his life to fight the tobacco epidemic.
Gitali is also the national chairman of KETCA.
The Ministry of Agriculture was also awarded for helping farmers in Western Kenya transition from tobacco to other profitable crops.
Tuesday’s meeting was also addressed by Dorcas Kiptui, head of the division of tobacco control at the ministry of health.
Nairobi City County head of tobacco control Antony Muthemba, WHO Kenya officer Dr Joyce Nato and head of public health Francis Kuria among others.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
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