Tobacco companies have consistently found creative ways to circumvent regulations meant to limit marketing to young people.
Recently, International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA) held a training session to empower health journalists and anti-tobacco youth advocates to identify and expose the deceptive tactics used by the tobacco industry to undermine public health. This initiative aims to enhance awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine products, contributing to increased morbidity and mortality in Kenya and globally.
Celine Awuor, Head of the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA), provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the tobacco industry and its tactics.
She defined the “tobacco industry” as including manufacturers, distributors, importers, growers, and their associations, as well as lobbyists furthering the industry’s agenda, as per the Tobacco Control Act 2014.
Celine explained that “tobacco industry interference” is any commercial or vested interest of the tobacco industry that undermines public health policies, measures, and laws for tobacco control.
“The industry interferes through various means, such as hijacking the political and legislative process, exaggerating its economic importance, manipulating public opinion via sponsorships and charitable contributions, fabricating support through front groups, discrediting proven science, and intimidating governments with litigation,” she said.
The IILA training also shed light on the industry’s strategies to attract a new generation of consumers and their interference in health policy in Kenya.
Samuel Ochieng, chief executive officer (CEO) of Consumer Insights Network (CIN), emphasized that tobacco industry interference is the most significant barrier to reducing tobacco’s deadly impact.
He cited a global consensus among tobacco control actors that protecting health policies from the tobacco industry’s vested interests, as outlined in Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), is crucial for progress.
Ochieng urged anti-tobacco civil society organizations and the media to establish surveillance systems to monitor tobacco industry activities and create counter marketing strategies to expose and combat their tactics targeting youth.
Rose Nabwire, Communications & Digital Advocacy Officer at IILA, highlighted the tobacco industry’s shift to social media to reach new audiences, particularly youth.
“This shift,” She says “raises concerns about the impact of tobacco industry interference on social media and its potential to undermine public health goals.”
She explained that influencers, often unknowingly, glamorize tobacco use, normalizing it among their followers.
“The industry uses tailored ads to appeal to different demographics, often associating tobacco with fun and rebelliousness rather than health risks. They also create fake accounts and bots to spread pro-tobacco messages and manipulate online conversations, drowning out public health messages. Industry actors infiltrate online communities, posing as regular users to promote their products and undermine anti-tobacco efforts.”
Her presentation emphasized the need for vigilance and action to counter these tactics and protect public health.
Anthony Muthemba from Nairobi County highlighted enforcement challenges with the rapid spread of Novel Nicotine and Emerging Tobacco Products (NNETPs), such as nicotine pouches, vapes, and electronic cigarettes.
Muthemba shared alarming statistics: 11.6percent of the Kenyan population uses tobacco products, with 19.1percent of men and 4.5percent of women. Approximately 2.5 million adults currently use tobacco products, and 9.5 million adults are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Among students, 9.9percent use tobacco products, with 12.8percent of boys and 6.7percent of girls currently using any tobacco products.
These figures he said “are expected to rise due to deceptive marketing strategies and technological advancements in tobacco products.”
There is also a growing demand for smokeless tobacco, particularly among youth and adolescents, with 14.5percent of secondary school students and 6.0percent of primary school pupils having used tobacco at some point in their lives, according to NACADA studies from 2016 and 2018.
Zaha Indimuli of Youth in Power Africa Rise (YIPAR), Kenya chapter, discussed how the tobacco industry misappropriates the concept of tobacco harm reduction to undermine existing tobacco control policies.
She explained that the industry promotes products like heated tobacco products (HTPs) and oral nicotine pouches as harm reduction tools, despite a lack of evidence for their effectiveness in smoking cessation and the unknown risks associated with them.
She highlighted that “smoke-free” does not “mean harm-free, emphasizing the industry’s profit motives.”
She further revealed that the industry uses social media platforms, influencers, and youth-centric events to promote tobacco products.
Zaha cited the example of Velo pouches, which have gained popularity among Kenyan youth through TikTok videos. Other tactics include developing and marketing flavored tobacco products, featuring tobacco products in youth-popular media, sponsoring sports and cultural events, price manipulation, glamorous advertising, and placing ads in youth-frequented outlets.
The tobacco industry also lobbies against regulations that restrict youth access to tobacco and uses social media to create engaging content.
“Tobacco industry launches campaigns to undermine scientific evidence on tobacco harms and promotes e-cigarettes and other alternatives as safer options without adequate evidence, targeting youth with misleading health claims,” Zara said.
She urged the government to implement regulations holding social media influencers accountable for promoting tobacco products and enforce penalties for violations.
Zaha also called for youth engagement in tobacco control advocacy, implementation and enforcement of smoke-free policies in public spaces, and comprehensive educational campaigns targeting youth, parents, and educators about the dangers of tobacco use and industry tactics.
Additionally, she emphasized the need for enhanced age verification processes at points of sale, including online platforms.
John Muchangi guided participants on how the media can support tobacco control. He stressed the importance of maintaining editorial independence from tobacco industry influence and funding, providing accurate information on health risks and control policies, supporting policies that restrict tobacco advertising, and working with health NGOs to track and report industry activities.
Muchangi urged media professionals to expose tobacco industry tactics and conflicts of interest.
