Shisha importers count losses in wake of Mailu ban

A young man smokes shisha at a bar on December 25, 2017. Photo | BENSON MOMANYI | NMG 

By WINNIE ATIENO

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Summary

• Traders ponder next move as they hold massive stocks of shisha in their godowns.
• They also say they were caught by surprise and want to avoid police harassment following the ban.
• However, health officials say the government's move will save hundreds of young lives at the Coast where shisha smoking is commonplace.

Traders shipping shisha into the country are decrying massive losses following a government ban yesterday even as healthcare experts lauded the move.

Some of the importers, who spoke to Nation on condition of anonymity, say they still had massive stocks of shisha in their godowns that will go to waste due to the State's move.

“We don’t know where to take this stuff. Health CS Cleopa Mailu should have consulted us. This is political...Why can’t they ban tobacco yet it is also harmful?” wondered a coast-based businessman Friday.

He says he has stored his stock in a private area as he ponders his next move.

“I don’t know what might happen but I am definitely clearing the stuff to avoid police harassment,” he added.

READ: Kenya bans shisha smoking

ALSO READ: Rwanda bans shisha smoking

Laud move

However, health officials say the government's move will save hundreds of young lives at the Coast where shisha smoking is commonplace.

“This is a step in the right direction. We laud the Ministry of Health for banning shisha, which has negative effects on users. It causes addiction especially among youths,” Kenya Medical Practitioners and Pharmacists Union deputy secretary general Chibanzi Mwachonda said Friday.

According to the Kenya Tobacco Control Board, Central, Eastern, Mombasa and Nairobi regions lead with the highest prevalence of smokers.

“Shisha is dangerous and it is not an alternative to cigarettes. Out of the two million smokers in the country, 600,000 are based in Mombasa,” said board member Dr Somba Kivunga.

“All these people are smoking themselves to the grave. It is a concern for us because we have other entry points such as the Indian Ocean,” he added.