Tobacco and Diabetes: What you need to know

Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke have been associated with diverse health complications. This is because when tobacco and its additives are burned they produce a complex mixture of chemicals. Tobacco smoke is made up of thousands of harmful chemicals, 70 of which are known to cause cancer. But What Is The Linkage […]

Kenya MUST Do More to Curb Illicit Tobacco Trade

Globally, Kenya is considered a leader in control of illicit trade in tobacco products through the Excisable Goods Management System (EGMS) Delayed Action on Government Obligation in Tobacco Control Costly to Public Health Kenya has made tremendous legal steps in trying to curb the tobacco menace in the country. In 2004, Kenya made history in […]

The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2019

Tobacco use, claims more than eight million lives worldwide every year. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), about 80% of the 1.1 billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest. Kenya is among the 181 signatories and parties to the WHO FCTC, a global […]

Finance Bill 2019; a Positive Step Towards Actualizing Universal Health Coverage

Statement of Joel Gitali, Chairman, Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance October 3, 2019 NAIROBI, KENYA – The letter to the President of Kenya from the manufacturers of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes opposing the proposed excise rates increase in the Finance Bill 2019 is yet another strategy by the tobacco and alcohol industries to defeat policies that […]

World Lung Day

Every year, tobacco kills at least 8 million people. Millions more live with lung cancer, tuberculosis, asthma or chronic lung disease caused by tobacco. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. As the world observes World Lung Day, tobacco still remains to be the single most threat to lung health. According to the US Department of […]

Shisha Ban Compliance Study – Nairobi County

In December 2017, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Dr Cleopa Mailu, gave a directive banning shisha in Kenya. Through a public health rule, the Government of Kenya adopted and implemented a comprehensive ban on shisha that prohibited the importation, manufacture, sale, offer for sale, use, advertising, promotion, distribution and encouraging or facilitating the use of […]

Tobacco Control Advocates Stand on Increased Cancer Burden in Kenya, B.A.T.’s New Products and W.H.O. Latest Report on Global Tobacco Epidemic (2019)

Last week on Thursday, the National Cancer Institute of Kenya (NCI-K), based at the Ministry of Health, released a report showing the growing cancer burden in Kenya. NCI Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Alfred Karagu, who appeared before National Assembly’s Health Committee chaired by Hon. Sabina Chege noted that overall, cancer kills 33,000 Kenyans every […]

Tax Increase on Cigarettes and Alcohol Laudable

In his budget speech, the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, CS Henry Rotich acknowledged the need to boost excise revenue. In whose regard, he proposed a 15% increase on excise duty on cigarettes, wines and spirits. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 70% excise tax share of the final consumer price, this […]