Lobby faults Ruto-South Korea tobacco deal
President William Ruto during a recent meeting with South Korea Ambassador to Kenya Young Dae Kwon at Harambee Annex, Nairobi.
Kenya Tobacco Control and Health Promotion Alliance has called out President William Ruto following his recent deal for Kenya to export Tobacco to South Korea.
According to Joel Gitari, the chairperson of KeTCHPA, an umbrella body of civil society organisations fighting tobacco use, the recent move by the president will water down the many efforts they have made in the fight against the production and use of Tobacco in the country.
"We have a major problem with this because it means Kenya will try to increase tobacco planting in the country and it is likely the number of Kenyans killed by tobacco through diseases such as cancer will increase," Mr Gitari said.
The group further noted that numerous studies done in Kenya show tobacco farming is unprofitable, leaving farmers poor and sick with green tobacco sickness and other diseases.
The Tobacco Control Act also commits the government to phase out tobacco farming in Kenya continually.
Any treaty or agreement that binds Kenya to promote tobacco farming is against the Tobacco Control Act and is, therefore, illegal.
"We ask the government to immediately cancel aspects of the Kenya-South Korea agreement that touch on tobacco," added Mr Gitari.
The body also added that by the end of this year, exposure to tobacco smoke and other tobacco products will have killed more than 9,000 Kenyans.
At least 40,000 Kenyans will have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer, many of them caused by tobacco use. These estimates come from Kenya's Ministry of Health and have been ratified by the World Health Organization.
In 1992, Kenya participated in the first World Tobacco Day campaigns, marking the beginning of the nation's struggle against tobacco usage. In 1998, the initial tobacco control legislation was written.
Kenya made history in 2004 when it became the second nation in the world (after Norway) to ratify and sign the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on the same day.
After that, Kenya passed the Tobacco Control Act in 2007.
"This act seeks to end the rising deaths caused by tobacco use. It also seeks to cut diseases triggered by tobacco use, such as cancer, diabetes and heart attacks. It guarantees tax increases on tobacco products; smoke-free public spaces; ban of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and health information and warnings," Mr Gitari added.
Kenya's Exports to South Korea include Tea, Coffee, Tobacco, and Ore's slag. Kenya's main imports from Korea include manufacturing goods such as boilers, tires, tubes, textiles, raw materials, sugar, steel products, electronic goods, vehicles, chemicals, fertilisers, and synthetic fibers.
