NGOs oppose Kuria tobacco dalliance
Civil society organisations working in the health sector are uncomfortable with Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria’s emerging dalliance with the tobacco industry, terming it a claw back on recent gains made.
Drawn mainly from groups advocating for tobacco control, the organisations are uneasy with the CS’s recent meeting with the British American Tobacco (BAT) management.
Kuria’s meeting with the BAT entourage also directly contravened Part V of the Kenya Tobacco Control Regulations (2014) and Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which Kenya has signed and ratified.
“Kenya stands at a crossroads where responsible choices must be made to safeguard public health, sustainable agriculture and economic growth,” said seven organisations in Nairobi yesterday.
Organisations
The organisations include; NCDs Alliance-Kenya (NCDAK); Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (KETCA), Consumer Information Network (CIN), International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA), the National Taxpayers Association (NTA), Kenyan Network of Cancer Organizations (KENCO) and Students Campaign Against Drug Abuse (SCAD).
The organisations gathered in a Nairobi hotel yesterday to raise issues with the latest developments where the CS is said to have stated that the tobacco industry contributes more than 1 percent of the country’s GDP, allegedly attracting more than Sh18 billion annually.
On his Facebook page, Kuria also claimed last Wednesday after meeting the BAT delegation the industry has employed thousands of Kenyans including tobacco farmers who were earning handsomely in Busia, Migori and Homa Bay counties.
“However, we strongly disapprove of the utterances by the Trade CS Moses Kuria. He spoke these obviously deceiving words when he met the delegation to discuss the Kenya Tobacco Control Act and Regulations that govern the industry,” the organisations said in a statement read by CIN Executive Director, Samuel Ochieng’.
Laid down guidelines
They said Kuria’s meeting with the BAT team did not meet the laid down guidelines regarding interactions between public officers and the tobacco industry.
“The Kenya Tobacco Control Act prohibits government officials from meeting with tobacco industry officials, in order to protect public health,” Ochieng’ said, noting that nothing good will come out of such meetings as the tobacco industry has a long history of interfering with tobacco control efforts.
“These meetings give the industry an opportunity to influence government policy,” he added, pointing out that the Kenya Tobacco Control Act is in line with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is an international treaty that aims to reduce tobacco use worldwide.
The FCTC also prohibits governments from engaging in any form of collaboration with the tobacco industry, he noted, saying the deterrence by this legislation includes meetings, consultations, and other forms of communication.
On her part, Christine Mogo- Sitati, the Executive Director, KNCO, tobacco is the number one lead cause of health implications such as Cancer and other chronic diseases, therefore strongly supporting the termination of tobacco use and production in Kenya.
“On Friday KNCO released its own statement on cancer and tobacco use, tobacco usage poses severe health implications, particularly its association with Cancer, Diabetes and other chronic heart conditions,” she said.
According to the Ministry of Health, every year, 9,000 Kenyans lose their lives to Tobacco related diseases such Cancer, Respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
The organisations challenged Health CS Susan Nakhumicha to rise up and claim her space in the advocacy of health in the country as the minister in charge.
“It is our responsibility as a nation to prioritize the health and well-being of our citizens over short-term gains,” David Odhiambo from KETCA said.
According to the organisations, over the years, Kenya has made great strides in controlling the tobacco epidemic and has been a leading nation in tobacco control in Africa and globally.
