NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 21 — The Ministry of Health has called for stricter enforcement of tobacco control laws, warning that the unchecked spread of tobacco and nicotine products is exposing families and young people to serious health risks.
Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said lax enforcement has allowed cigarettes, shisha, and e-cigarettes to proliferate not just in towns but increasingly in rural communities.
“The menace of drugs continues to threaten families and especially the youth in our households. Illicit brews remain very persistent and this is a danger even to our health,” she noted.
Speaking in Kirinyaga during an engagement with clergy on curbing tobacco use among the youth, Muthoni called for stronger collaboration between the Ministry, religious leaders, and community gatekeepers to counter the trend.
“It is important to note that MoH has picked this with a lot of concern and the key message we want to tell our people is that tobacco is actually the gateway substance often used by the youth, introducing them to alcohol, bhang and many other hard drugs,” the PS explained.
Secondary smokers
She noted that tobacco use within schools and homes is a growing threat, with children increasingly exposed as secondary smokers.
The Ministry, she added, is pushing for zero tolerance to tobacco and nicotine products in learning institutions and households.
“The enforcement of rules against tobacco and nicotine use in public has relaxed. There must [be] a reawakening to ensure they [are] implemented at all levels,” Muthoni said, hinting at a national crackdown on shisha and electronic cigarettes, which she said are becoming commonplace in villages.
On Community Health Promoters (CHPs), the PS reiterated they remain apolitical and should focus exclusively on advancing the government’s preventive health agenda.
She added that the ministry will equip CHPs with accurate information on the Social Health Insurance (SHI) to counter widespread misinformation in rural areas on access to medical services and benefits from registration and contributions.
