BAT raises alarm over illicit cigarettes in the market, says vice costing exchequer Sh9b annually

Public participation on tobacco graphic warning exercise held at NITA college in Athi River. [PETERSON GITHAIGA, STANDARD]

British American Tobacco (BAT) Kenya has raised concerns over illicit cigarettes in the market, terming it an economic setback that now threatens jobs.

BAT Kenya Managing Director Crispin Achola, while referencing a new study that shows one in three cigarettes sold in the market are illicit, said the alarming rise of this illegal trade puts the government at a disadvantage by denying them revenue.