Board urges KRA to probe illegal imports of tobacco and shisha

A man smoking shisha. Kenya Tobacco Control Board has asked KRA to use its tracking system to investigate illegal tobacco and shisha imports. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Dr Somba Kivunga urged KRA to investigate entry points through which the risky illegal products are trafficked.

  • Besides tobacco, shisha pipes are also filled with flavours, aromatic stuff, marijuana, bhang and cocaine.

  • The board has mandated county governments to enforce laws against smoking shisha. 

  • According to the board, Central, Eastern, Mombasa and Nairobi lead with a high prevalence of smokers.

The Kenya Tobacco Control Board has asked the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to use its tracking system to investigate illegal tobacco and shisha imports.

A board member said shisha poses a health risk to Kenyan consumers, especially teenagers, whose smoking habit is on the rise.

Dr Somba Kivunga urged KRA to investigate entry points through which the risky illegal products are trafficked.

“Do they comply with the Tobacco Control Act?” Dr Kivunga asked.

“They are all illegal, they must have a licence, and we have to know the ingredients used in making the stuff. Mombasa is a gateway to many things.”

In an interview at the launch of an awareness drive in Mombasa, Dr Kivunga claimed traders import shisha without following the law, saying it is predominant in Arab countries.

REGULATIONS

“Anything not manufactured in Kenya must go through tobacco control regulations,” said Dr Kivunga.

“We must know where the cigarette was manufactured, its contents, and it should be registered. But illegal cigarettes are still imported.”

He said a puff of shisha is equal to smoking 100 cigarette sticks.

“Nicotine is the bait that brings the fish to the hook,” he said.

“Nicotine is what gives addiction.

“The tobacco plant is dangerous; it is a poison but people like it because it gives an emotional feeling that makes one happy.”

FLAVOURS

The board has discovered that, besides tobacco, shisha pipes are also filled with flavours, aromatic stuff, marijuana, bhang and cocaine.

Dr Kivunga said illicit cigarettes contain higher nicotine and dangerous chemicals and lack warning signs for consumers.

The Tobacco Control Act has a regulation on how much nicotine a cigarette must contain, how much chemicals it should have, how it is supposed to be wrapped and warning signs to users.

The board has mandated county governments to enforce laws against smoking shisha. 

According to the board, Central, Eastern, Mombasa and Nairobi lead with a high prevalence of smokers.

WARN USERS

He said traders selling shisha must comply with the law, including warning users against smoking the dangerous stuff.

“Shisha should not be sold to anyone, it is dangerous. They must inform people that shisha is not an alternative to cigarettes, it is dangerous. Out of the two million smokers in the country 600,000 are based in Mombasa,” said Dr Kivunga.

He added, “All these people are smoking themselves to the grave. It is a concern for us because Mombasa’s prevalence rate is high. We have other entry points such as the ocean.”

Meanwhile, the Mombasa County has launched a crackdown on shisha dens across the coastal city of Mombasa.

The county has formed a multi-sectoral monitoring team comprising officials from the public health, inspectorate and school health inspection unit to probe the alarming rate at which school-going children are smoking shisha and tobacco.