Nicotine pouches in Kenya.Kenya has made significant progress in tobacco control, yet tobacco and nicotine use among adolescents continues to rise as a silent threat, one that places our nation’s youngest population at risk of addiction, long-term disease, and preventable death. The newly released Kenya Data on Youth and Tobacco (DaYTA) Survey 2024 now gives us the clearest national picture to date of the extent of this problem.As a youth public health advocate deeply invested in tobacco control, these findings are both alarming and energizing. They reinforce what many of us working in the field have long suspected: Kenyan adolescents…
Author: by CECILIA LUBANGA
Exposure to tobacco advertising, especially through digital platforms is rampant, and flavored products like nicotine pouches continue to appeal to younger audiences. In 2023, Kenya’s Ministry of Health made a bold policy move: the introduction of updated Graphic Health Warnings (GHWs) for all tobacco and nicotine products. These warnings were designed to cover 30 per cent of the front and 50 per cent of the back of product packaging, with rotating visuals that highlight the severe health consequences of tobacco and nicotine use. The regulations aimed to address the shortcomings of the static, outdated warnings introduced in 2016 and to include…