By Fred Maingi
The Tobacco control & health promotion Alliance has expressed fear that the number of Kenyans killed by Tobacco through cancer related disease is increasing at an alarming rate.
Joel Gitali, chairman of the Tobacco Control Alliance & Health lauded the Government for banning consumption of Shisha in 2017 but felt the vice is still rampant in some isolated pubs.
He said Kenya is set to lose all the gains of fighting cancer & related disease if remedial measures are not taken by stakeholders to tackle the vice.
Addressing the media at a Nairobi hotel, Gitali flanked by several stakeholders in the Industry, said the fight against Tobacco menace must be taken seriously. He lauded president Dr. William Ruto for showing concern and highlighting the dangers posed by overdrinking.
“Lets support the president,we know he means well for us, “
“When President William Ruto took the oath
of office on September 13,Gitali added, he promised Kenyans the highest
standards of health.
We intend to give full support to the President and his government
to make this a reality.”
“However, he added, we are concerned because despite the promise by the
President, it is likely the number of Kenyans killed by tobacco
through diseases such as cancer will increase.
By the end of this year, exposure to tobacco smoke and other
tobacco products will have killed more than 9,000 Kenyans.
At least 40,000 Kenyans will have been diagnosed with various
forms of cancer, many of them caused by tobacco use. These
estimates come from Kenya’s Ministry of Health and have been
ratified by the World Health Organization.
Ladies and gentlemen, these deaths are preventable.
The country began efforts to fight tobacco use 30 years ago in 1992
when Kenya first participated in the World No Tobacco Day
campaigns. The first tobacco control bill was drafted in 1998.
In 2004, Kenya made history by being the second country (after
Norway) in the world to sign and ratify the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control on the same day.
After that, Kenya passed the Tobacco Control Act in 2000 “he noted.