Tobacco Bill: Uasin Gishu Traders Call for Practical Regulations
Stakeholders in Uasin Gishu County have urged Parliament to adopt a balanced approach in amending Kenya’s tobacco laws, saying proposed regulations should protect public health without imposing undue burdens on legitimate businesses and livelihoods.
The stakeholders spoke in Eldoret during the second day of public participation on the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, being considered by the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health. Parliament has scheduled public hearings on the Bill between September 24 and 26, 2026, as required under the constitutional public participation framework.
Among the proposals drawing concern is a requirement for businesses that manufacture, distribute, store, sell or otherwise deal in tobacco products to obtain a licence from the respective county executive committee member.
Traders argued that the additional licensing requirement could increase regulatory bureaucracy and the cost of doing business, particularly for small enterprises already paying county single business permit fees.
Stakeholders also questioned a proposal seeking to prohibit the sale of tobacco products within a 100-metre radius of places primarily serving persons below the age of 18, arguing that the restriction could be difficult to implement in densely populated and rapidly urbanising areas.
BAT Kenya Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager Billy Tsuma said the industry supports regulation but called for measures that are evidence-based, consultative and practical to enforce.
“We support regulation that is evidence-based, consultative, fit-for-purpose, and practically enforceable,” Tsuma said, urging the committee to consider views raised by traders and other players across the tobacco value chain.
He said provisions such as the proposed 100-metre restriction could present enforcement challenges and called for legislation that considers both public health objectives and the realities faced by legitimate businesses.
Uasin Gishu trader Sharlynne Chelang’at similarly called for stronger enforcement of existing restrictions against the sale of tobacco products to minors, rather than introducing what she described as an impractical distance requirement.
Read: Stakeholders Call for Review of Proposed Tobacco Bill as Public Participation Begins
“The proposed law seeking to restrict sale of tobacco products to more than 100 metres from places with children does not work and is impractical,” she said, calling for strict enforcement and penalties against traders who sell tobacco products to underage persons.
The Bill, sponsored by Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma, seeks to amend the Tobacco Control Act, Cap 245A, to regulate electronic nicotine delivery systems and other emerging nicotine products, including electronic cigarettes and related products. Parliament’s official notice identifies it as Senate Bill No. 35 of 2024, which was read for the first time in the National Assembly on March 31, 2026, before being referred to the Departmental Committee on Health.
The wider proposals include tighter controls on the sale, advertising, packaging and use of emerging nicotine products.
The committee is conducting public participation engagements in several counties before concluding the exercise in Kisumu and Laikipia on Saturday. The Bill remains under parliamentary consideration and has not yet become law.
