Order against tobacco rules extended
The Court of Appeal has extended the deadline for implementing Tobacco Control Regulations 2014 to December 16 following expiry of a one-month stay order on Tuesday.
The court will now deliver its judgement on BAT Kenya’s appeal against the rolling out of the stringent law in mid-December.
The cigarette maker filed an appeal in June against some provisions including the Solatium Compensatory Contribution, extended ban on public place smoking and limitations on industry and government interaction.
The Solatium Contribution, payable every financial year at the rate of two per cent of the value of the tobacco products manufactured or imported by each firm, is meant to address the enormous costs on the healthcare system caused by tobacco consumption.
BAT has expressed its opposition to this provision claiming it seeks to criminalise a legal industry by presuming liability and pre-setting a ‘compensatory’ payment.
