Kenya government plans to introduce statewide ban on smoking on the streets
Published on May 15, 2009 4:39 AM
The National Assembly began debating over proposed amendments to ban smoking cigarettes on the streets and increase cigarette prices.
The Department of Public Health and Sanitation Chair, Beth Mugo, has introduced these amendments to the National Tobacco Act to prohibit smoking on the streets across the country.
In accordance with Article 33 of the Tobacco Act, smoking is banned in public establishments, eateries, restaurants and bars, factories, universities, hospitals and other public buildings; however, there is nothing regarding smoking on the streets.
Nevertheless, several local lawmakers such as the Nairobi City Council, Mombasa and the Council of Kisumu have recently approved legislation eliminating puffing on the streets.
The Public Health minister has as well urged State Treasury executives to raise excise taxes for cigarettes and other tobacco products to compel even Kenyans to give up the unhealthy habit.
In case both amendments are approved, the ban and price increase would enter into force starting in June, making local smokers fork up for their more than ever expensive habit. And this would happen to Kenyan smokers exactly at the same time when the majority of population is hardly able to afford first-necessity goods.
Beth Mugo stated that all the previous increases in the sin taxes have not contributed to a significant decline in the number of smokers across the nation.
Moreover, Public Health Department made another step to limit the use of cigarettes. On Monday ministry instituted the Tobacco Control Board, an agency that would have the power to regulate production, distribution, consumption and advertising of tobacco containing products throughout the country.
The Tobacco Control Board will include representatives of the Law Society of Kenya, National Environmental Administration, Supreme Court, and other departments. Public Health Department appointed Prof Peter Odhiambo, the head of University of Nairobi School of Medicine to chair the Board.
The Public Health minister also called the tobacco products as the number one cause of preventable deaths in Kenya. She asked the ministry of Finance to increase the prices of cigarettes and other tobacco containing products as much as possible and declared that the department she has been chairing would launch a special campaign to refrain farmers from growing tobacco crops by supporting them to crop fruits, vegetables and cotton.
Mrs. Mugo claimed that according to the research recently performed by Kenyan scientists, aforementioned crops are much better for the soil and public health.
These amendments have already enraged both smokers and cigarette producers who complained that the continuous increases of cigarette prices have led to a boom of black market dealing with smuggled and counterfeited cigarettes.
Revenues of cigarette producers would inevitably fall after the hike in excise taxes on tobacco products while the country is already facing high inflation that has prompted many Kenyans to spend hard-earned money only for basic goods.
British American Tobacco asked the Kenyan National Assembly to decrease the tobacco taxes in order to prevent the subsequent blossoming of black market.
During British American Tobacco’s Annual Meeting that was held last week in Nairobi, local office CEO Gary Fagan declared that around 15 percent of all cigarettes distributed on Kenyan market were smuggled or counterfeit, which contributed to the loss of revenue of the government legal tobacco producers.
British American Tobacco was the second largest tax payer in the last fiscal year transferring almost 8 billion of Kenyan Shillings in taxes to the Treasury.
However, the Public Health Department Chair stated that the amount of revenue collected by the Treasury was like a drop in the bucket in comparison with the amount spent to treat health complications related to tobacco consumption.
