Alobby group has urged the Health Ministry to uphold the ban on the sale of oral nicotine pouches in the country after British American Tobacco (BAT) recently wrote a letter requesting the cabinet secretary to rescind his earlier directive.
The group, led by the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (KETCA)—which is the umbrella organisation for those involved in tobacco control and health promotion in Kenya—describes the move by BAT as “blatant interference by the tobacco industry and their distaste for public health”.
In the letter dated September 7 2021, BAT’s Managing Director Chrispin Achola asks Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe that their nicotine pouches, brand names LYFT or Velo, be allowed back into the market with a tiny health warning covering only 10 per cent of the packet. KETCA chairman Joel Gitali urged the Health Ministry to uphold the ban on nicotine pouches due to the blatant interference by the tobacco industry and their distaste for public health.
“The tobacco industry must forthwith desist from sending letters to the Health CS as the Ministry has a competent Tobacco Control Board and the Division of Tobacco Control to which they can direct their communication.”
According to the Kenya STEPwise survey for Noncommunicable diseases (NCD) risk factors 2015, tobacco use remains the most deadly risky behaviour in the country, killing at least 9,000 Kenyans every year. Experts say more than 220,000 children and more than 2,737,000 adults continue to use tobacco each day. A study conducted by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) in 2018 shows that about 2.2 million Kenyans use tobacco products, out of which two-thirds smoke cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is linked to more than 70 per cent of lung cancers, according to the National Guidelines for Cancer Management.
Mr Gitali—who was flanked by KETCA Coordinator Thomas Lindi and Nairobi Metropolitan Services Tobacco Control Unit Head, Antony Muthemba—observed that since 2007, the Kenya Tobacco Control Act has put in place important restrictions on the sale, advertisement and distribution of tobacco products. “However, to dodge these restrictions and increase their profits, the tobacco industry has introduced alternative tobacco and nicotine products which they market aggressively to children and adolescents. “These new products now pose significant challenges to public health,” Mr Gitali added.
Mr Muthemba said the nicotine pouches—which are even sold online—deliver the nicotine chemical into the body when placed under the lips. “Manufacturers who market the products in Kenya, led by the BAT-Kenya, allege that they are less harmful than cigarettes.”
Mr Lindi said the ban on nicotine pouches must also be applied to other novel products such as Electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as e-cigarettes, until when we have an appropriate regulatory framework. “Tests on such products so far have demonstrated toxic contaminants, misrepresentation of the nicotine delivered, and no health benefit.
They are not safe for young people, pregnant women and adults who have never smoked.” Mr Gitali warned that these products were gaining particular traction in the youth market due to the wide array of youth-friendly flavours and deceptive advertising online.
The chairman added that although advertising may make them look convenient and appealing, the fact remains that nicotine products are dangerous. “For instance, nicotine use during adolescence has been shown to damage brain cells in the area of the brain known as the ‘prefrontal cortex’ leading to lifetime addiction to the nicotine chemical, depression and anxiety. It also leads to irritation of the gums, sore mouth, hiccups and nausea.”
Mr Gitali revealed that several countries have already banned nicotine delivery products until such a time there will be sufficient scientific studies to guide their proper regulation. These countries include Norway, Germany, Australia, Canada, Russia and Uganda.
