Nyeri Traders Ask Senate to Reject Proposal on Banning Flavours in Nicotine Products
0
0
NYERI COUNTY – Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Traders in Nyeri County have urged the Senate to reject a proposal seeking to ban flavours in nicotine products such as vapes and pouches, warning that the move would fuel illicit trade and deny both businesses and the government vital revenue.
The proposal is contained in the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, currently before the Senate, which seeks to ban the production and supply of products containing flavoured additives.
“A person shall not produce or supply tobacco products containing additives which result in a characterising flavour,” reads Section 14 (j) (f) of the Bill.
According to explanatory notes shared by the Senate, the provision aims to protect minors by making products like vapes and pouches less attractive through the prohibition of sweet flavours.
However, Nyeri traders argue that the ban will have the opposite effect. They warn it will drive flavoured nicotine products underground, creating a thriving black market where minors will have even easier access to unregulated products.
“While we appreciate the Senate’s intention to safeguard minors, banning flavours will only push sales to the black market, deny us our livelihoods, and cut government revenue,” the traders said.
They further warned that if passed in its current form, the Bill would not stop consumption but instead open opportunities for illegitimate traders, undermining the very objectives it seeks to achieve.
The traders are now calling on Senators to reconsider the proposal once sittings resume later this month, urging their own representatives to protect small businesses from being edged out by the black market.
During debate in the Senate, Narok County Senator Ledama Olekina, a member of the Senate Health Committee, said he saw no issue with flavours in nicotine products, noting that their removal would not prevent use.
“Whether you are a smoker or not, I did not see any problem with having flavours because people would still smoke. The real issue we must deliberate on is whether or not to allow flavours,” Olekina said.
About The Author
