Uganda seeks to enforce smoking ban in public places

To enforce the ban on smoking in public places, the Ugandan Ministry of Health has organized the training of 172 agents on this subject, including 15 trainers. With the help of the World Health Organization, Uganda is committed to the application of texts protecting against exposure to passive smoking, a real public health problem.

Uganda ratified the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2007, and transposed various measures into its Tobacco Control Act, adopted in 2015. Section 12 of the Act prohibits smoking in public places, workplaces and public transport, in order to protect the population from exposure to tobacco smoke.

As in other countries, particularly in Africa, this provision remains very poorly respected. The situation has worsened with the recent development of shisha (water pipes) in public places, despite the ban on their importation and consumption. With financial support from the WHO, the Ugandan Ministry of Health has decided to apply protective measures against this general passive smoking.[1].

Control operations conducted in five cities

In 2022 and 2023, 157 police officers and 15 of their national trainers were trained in five regions to enforce the smoking ban in public places. These trainings were followed by enforcement operations, deployed in five cities across the country (Mbale, Jinja, Hoima, Masaka and Kabale).

Bringing together agents from the Ministry of Health, local police forces and the press, five days of inspections were carried out on this theme in December 2023. They made it possible to inspect 86 public places and resulted in the arrest of 83 people, as well as the seizure and destruction of several hookahs. Since these inspections, it has also been possible to observe, in hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and throughout the city, an increase in signs reminding people of the smoking ban.

A warning to the rest of Uganda

These demonstrations of firmness conducted in several cities had above all an educational function, but also a warning intended for the whole country. The authorities want to show their determination to enforce henceforth the legislation against exposure to passive smoking, long unobserved. The renewal of these experiments will probably be necessary to ensure the full implementation of the legislation. Finally, these operations are an opportunity to signal to other African countries faced with the same problem that it is still possible to act to combat passive smoking.

According to WHO, young people are the most affected by exposure to second-hand smoke in Uganda. 19.7% of them are exposed to tobacco smoke at home, and 30% are exposed in public places.

Keywords: Uganda, World Health Organization, passive smoking, hookah

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[1] Uganda steps up efforts to protect the public from secondhand tobacco smoke, WHO, published February 21, 2024, accessed February 23, 2024.