Kenya’s Newly Gazetted Warnings on Nicotine Products

The long-awaited amendments on tobacco and nicotine products in Kenya have been signed into law and published in the Government Gazette as Acts of Parliament.

The newly gazetted graphic warnings on vaping products and nicotine pouches by the Ministry of Health are misleading and fail to recognize the differences in health risks between products, potentially jeopardizing harm reduction efforts in Kenya.

The imposition of the same graphic warnings as those on tobacco products will certainly make smokers believe that using nicotine products such as pouches is as or more harmful than smoking, effectively discouraging them from switching to alternatives that are less harmful to their health and that can contribute to the improvement of public health in Kenya.

How are other countries approaching this?

A newly released comparative study of how Kenya and Sweden are faring in the fight against smoking examines their differing approaches, offering a stark contrast in policy direction.

In Sweden, for example, tobacco-free nicotine products are regulated by the Act on Tobacco-Free Nicotine Products, which is separate from the Act on Tobacco. The Act regulates products based on their risk profiles and distinguishes between combustible tobacco and nicotine products, which has enabled people who smoke to make informed choices.

As a result, in the past 15 years, due to a lack of affordable cessation products and an exclusion of policies that support tobacco harm reduction, Kenya’s smoking rate among adult males is three times higher than Sweden’s. The report examining the differing approaches between these two countries underscores a stark contrast in policy direction.

As Kenya applies similar restrictions to tobacco and tobacco-free nicotine alternatives, Sweden actively promotes alternatives as cessation tools, thus achieving world-leading results by embracing harm reduction and safer alternatives.

To reduce smoking-related deaths in the country, we must follow suit and provide people who smoke with accurate information backed by scientific evidence to allow them to make informed choices.

Download Report: The Tale of Two Nations: A comparative study of how Kenya and Sweden are faring in the fight against smoking.