Kenyan anti-tobacco organizations mobilize to prevent avoidable deaths

In addition to the restrictive measures in place in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale, the Kenyan government has issued a list of 15 commodities whose distribution and free movement must be maintained during the lockdown, as they are considered essential to the livelihoods of residents.

The International Institute for Legislative Affairs, the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance, and the Alcohol Control Policy Network were surprised to see tobacco and alcohol listed among these essential commodities and immediately, in a joint letter to the Ministry of Health, called for the removal of these deadly substances.[1].

It's worth remembering that tobacco kills 8 million people worldwide annually. Many studies have already denounced tobacco as an aggravating factor in non-communicable diseases. More recent studies are beginning to accuse tobacco of playing a role in the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic and in the risk of potentially fatal complications after contracting the virus.

With the non-ban, and even worse, with the exceptional authorization to maintain tobacco on the market, during a global health crisis, the coalition of three non-governmental organizations warns against the catastrophic scenario to which the population finds itself exposed, and thus positions itself in the same line as the WHO.

“We believe that this decision will not only render the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Government counterproductive in the fight against Covid-19, but will also expose Kenyans to unnecessary, yet preventable, deaths.”[2].