Kenya Joins Hands for Tobacco Control to Improve Public Health

According to a report by The Star on May 22, the Kenyan Department of Public Health Professions Standards will be collaborating with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to improve public health in Kenya through tobacco control measures.

Mary Muthoni, the Chief Secretary of Public Health in Kenya, stated that the alliance will focus on several key initiatives aimed at enhancing regulatory processes and ensuring the effective allocation of resources. One major initiative is the collection of excise compensation funds from importers and producers of tobacco products by KRA, as stipulated in the Tobacco Control Act.

Mussoni added, "Our goal is to ensure that these funds can be effectively collected and used to support public health initiatives.

In order to improve efficiency at various entry points, cross-institutional teams will be established to handle tobacco product clearance work. This collaborative approach is expected to expedite clearance processes and enhance oversight authority.

According to Musoni, "We also plan to design specialized ports in Kenya to better control and monitor new types of nicotine and emerging tobacco products." This will help better manage the tobacco products entering the country.

Furthermore, Musoni stated that monitoring, compliance, and enforcement actions regarding illicit tobacco products in the market will increase. Musoni emphasized that enhancing laboratory capabilities for testing new types of nicotine and other emerging tobacco products is another important aspect of this joint action.

Improved testing will ensure that these products meet safety standards and receive appropriate oversight," she said.

This move is in response to the Ministry of Health's plan to implement new regulations on graphic warnings for tobacco products. The new warnings include a set of 13 images, some of which depict the harms of tobacco use such as cancer, death, reduced sexual function, and harm to fetuses.

This announcement also includes a warning that nicotine products are not a safe alternative to tobacco. The law requires these warnings to be regularly updated in order to be effective. Evidence shows that using graphic health warnings on tobacco products is cost-effective and actually deters users.

However, the warnings about highly addictive nicotine products have faced strong opposition from the tobacco industry.