Tobacco board puts companies on alert

By Ally Jamah

Cigarette manufacturers have been told to place warning pictures and messages on cigarette packs or face severe penalties.

Chairman of the newly formed Kenya Tobacco Control Board Peter Odhiambo sounded the warning yesterday during the World No Tobacco Day.

"Tobacco companies have had enough time to prepare and now is the time to start implementing the law," said Prof Odhiambo.

The board was constituted earlier this month and is charged with implementing the Kenya Tobacco Control Act (2007). The Act came into force this month and compels cigarette manufacturers to place prominent messages on the cigarette packets warning users of the harmful effects of smoking.

According to the Act, the messages must cover at least 30 per cent of the front face of the pack and at least 50 per cent of the back face. It must also incorporate pictures as vivid illustration for illiterate people.

Tobacco companies have been resisting this requirement concerned it could discourage smoking and cut their profits. The Act also prohibits advertising tobacco through the media or event sponsorships.

About nine million Kenyans are currently addicted to smoking, with more than one million being pupils and students. A 2007 study revealed that a majority of Kenyans support initiatives to control use of Tobacco.

According to the Head of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Ministry of Health and Public Sanitation, William Maina tobacco contains more than 4,000 different chemicals, of which 400 are known to be harmful to human life and 40 are known to specifically cause different forms of cancers.