Kenya has a new Senate Health Committee, but it seems the same old disregard for public input remains firmly in place.  

Despite the reshuffle that saw many new members join the Committee, its leadership refuses to reopen public hearings on the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024. 

This is a slap in the face to millions of Kenyan smokers, harm reduction advocates and public health experts who have a stake in this legislation.  

The previous Committee held hearings, yes, but many members who attended those hearings are no longer the decision-makers.  

Similarly, several current committee members were not part of those discussions, yet they are being asked to pass judgment on a law that will impact public health and consumer choice.  

How can they make informed decisions when they have not even heard from the people most affected? 

The refusal to hold new hearings is as reckless as it is undemocratic. This bill is not a minor regulatory tweak. It will shape Kenya’s approach to tobacco control for years to come.  

And yet, instead of ensuring the new committee has all the facts before proceeding, the chairman has chosen to silence stakeholders who have valuable insights to offer. 

For years, Kenya’s approach to tobacco control has been stuck in a failed cycle of prohibition, heavy taxation and restrictions on safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes. And what has that achieved? 

Some 12,000 Kenyans die from smoking-related diseases every year, 2.7 million Kenyans smoke, and despite strict regulations, two-thirds want to quit, but only two per cent succeed.  

Safer nicotine alternatives such as vapes and oral pouches, which have helped millions of smokers quit in other countries, are being unfairly lumped together with deadly cigarettes.  

This bill could be an opportunity to change course, to embrace harm reduction and to finally give smokers a real way out.  

But instead of engaging in open dialogue, the Committee’s leadership is shutting the door in our faces. 

The science is clear. Modern alternative nicotine products are far less harmful than cigarettes because they eliminate the burning of tobacco, the primary cause of smoking-related illness.  

Countries such as Sweden have nearly wiped out smoking by making safer alternatives widely available.  

Their smoking rates are the lowest in Europe, and as a result, their rates of tobacco-related cancer and deaths are dramatically lower. 

Meanwhile, an independent review by the Cochrane network –  one of the most respected global health research bodies – found that smokers who use vapes are more than twice as likely to quit than those relying solely on willpower or outdated methods. 

Kenya could follow this evidence-based path. But instead, policymakers are pretending they already have all the answers – when, in reality, they have refused to listen. 

If the Senate committee truly cares about public health, it must act responsibly. It must allow new public hearings so that fresh voices, new evidence and real-world success stories can be considered by all members. 

The writer is the Chairman of the Campaign for Safer Alternatives (CASA)