Agitation for measures to curb the growing tobacco epidemic in the country started way back before the signing and ratification of the international treaty. It’s however important to note that the greatest milestone was Kenya signing and ratifying the WHO FCTC in 2004 after prolonged advocacy by public health advocates in the country.

Over the years, the Alliance has built a robust network of champions spanning from government actors, CSOs, faith-based organizations, academia, media and members of the public.

KETCA has also successfully trained over 5,000 people on tobacco control. Similarly, the Alliance has build over 500 tobacco control champions in the country.

After the ratification of the WHO FCTC, the journey to domesticate the convention through a law took center stage and in June of 2007, Kenya made yet another milestone in enacting the Tobacco Control Act.

KETCA joined the government to successfully defend the Regulations at the High Court, the Court of Appeal and finally the Supreme Court, a battle that took over 5 years.

This comes several years after the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) banned 19 flavors of shisha, KETCA, working with other key stakeholders agitated for the total ban of shisha in the country. Heeding to this call, the Ministry of Health imposed a total ban on shisha citing its threat to public health.

On 8th May 2020, Kenya joined 58 other countries that have ratified the protocol that seeks to eliminate all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products in line with Article 15 of the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by establishing a range of measures.

The ITP, itself a treaty, aims to be a coordinated international response to the problem of the illicit tobacco trade.

Numerous studies have linked tobacco growing to health, socio-economic, and environmental challenges. To tackle this constellation of problems, WHO joined forces with the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Kenyan government to launch the Tobacco-Free Farms project in March 2022.

Over 1,000 farmers have completely migrated from tobacco growing to Nyota beans farming, which is highly nutritious and take a shorter time to mature.

Every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes various tobacco control champions and entities for their relentless efforts in curbing tobacco control in their respective countries. This year (2022) during World No Tobacco Day, the KETCA chairman was among the winners who were recognized for their efforts.

A Big congratulations to Mr. Joel Gitali, KETCA Chairman