Flag-coloured map of Kenya

By Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy

Government officials in major towns across Kenya are officially declaring their municipalities to be Smokefree. Following enforcement trainings organized by the Institute for Legislative Affairs (ILA), in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, officials in three towns have indeed committed to enforcing the Smokefree provisions of the Kenyan Tobacco Control Act 2007 (TCA). It is hoped that others will follow suit shortly.

In Eldoret, Rift Valley province, the Mayor announced that the ban on smoking in public places would come into effect on July 27, 2009. In Mombasa, Coast province, the Municipal Council gave the general public and business owners a 30-day notice before enforcing the ban on smoking in public places on September 30, 2009. Finally, in Kakamega, Western Province, the Central District Public Health Officer issued a public notice in September 2009 declaring the town a no smoking zone.

The Smokefree provisions currently being enforced are but one element of the comprehensive TCA, which was adopted in July 2007 and came into effect on July 8, 2008.

While the Act was hailed as a success, its actual implementation and enforcement, as well as public awareness about its provisions, were not optimal. The ILA has therefore stepped in to support the government’s efforts by implementing a country-wide training program on the TCA for law enforcement agents (with a specific focus on Smokefree provisions), complemented in Nairobi by creating awareness of the dangers of second hand smoke and the smoke free law.i As Rachel Kitonyo, Executive Director of the ILA explained, “enforcement officers are not just meant to arrest and prosecute offenders, but also to educate the public about the dangers of consuming tobacco.”

Since May 2009, 14 trainings have been carried out in various towns across Kenya’s 8 provinces. In total, over 1000 enforcement officers will be trained in 20 towns, with one to two rounds of one-day trainings taking place in each town, depending on the identified needs. Each training is being organized with a group of 50 participants comprising of enforcement personnel from the provincial administration, public health officers, municipal council enforcement officers, police personnel and civil society representatives.

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