Kenya’s Senate Health Committee Under Fire for Disregarding Public Input on Tobacco Control Bill
In a move that has sparked widespread criticism, Kenya’s newly formed Senate Health Committee has refused to reopen public hearings on the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024. This decision has been met with outrage from millions of Kenyan smokers, harm reduction advocates, and public health experts who have a stake in the legislation. The Committee’s leadership has chosen to shut out stakeholders with real, lived experiences and evidence-based insights, undermining not only democratic process but also public health.
The Bill, which aims to shape the future of tobacco control in Kenya, has far-reaching consequences. However, the Committee’s refusal to hold fresh hearings means that several current members, who were not part of the original discussions, are expected to pass judgment on the Bill without hearing from those most affected. This reckless and undemocratic approach has raised questions about how the Committee can make informed decisions without considering the views of stakeholders.
Kenya’s approach to tobacco control has been centered on prohibition, punitive taxation, and restrictions on safer alternatives to cigarettes. However, this approach has yielded dismal results, with 12,000 Kenyans dying every year from smoking-related diseases. Despite tight regulations, two-thirds of the 2.7 million Kenyan smokers want to quit, but only 2% succeed. Safer nicotine alternatives like vapes and oral pouches, which have helped millions quit in other countries, are wrongly treated the same as cigarettes.
The science is clear: modern nicotine alternatives are significantly less harmful than combustible cigarettes because they eliminate the burning of tobacco, the root cause of smoking-related illnesses. Countries like Sweden have nearly eradicated smoking by promoting safer alternatives, resulting in the lowest smoking rates in Europe and correspondingly lower cancer and mortality rates. An independent review by the Cochrane Collaboration found that people who use vapes are more than twice as likely to quit as those relying on willpower or traditional cessation methods.
The Chairman of the Campaign for Safer Alternatives (CASA) speaks from personal experience, having struggled to quit smoking for years before finding success with safer alternatives. He argues that the products that helped him reclaim his health are now under threat due to outdated thinking and a refusal to hear new evidence. He urges the Senate Health Committee to reopen public hearings on the Bill, allowing all voices to be heard, the latest science to be examined, and those who have walked this journey to share what worked for them.
The Committee’s refusal to listen to stakeholders and consider new evidence is a betrayal of the Kenyan people and a guarantee of more preventable deaths. As the Committee moves forward with the Bill, it is imperative that they prioritize public health and reconsider their approach to tobacco control. By embracing harm reduction and promoting safer alternatives, Kenya can follow the evidence-based path and reduce the devastating impact of smoking-related diseases on its citizens.
