In a significant step towards bolstering public health, Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Aden Duale, on August 5, 2025 defended the newly gazetted Graphic Health Warnings (GHWs) for tobacco products before the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation.
The session, held at Bunge Towers, saw CS Duale engage with the committee, chaired by Tana River Senator Danson Buya Mungatana, to discuss Legal Notice No. 107 of June 12, 2025, which introduced the new warnings following a public participation process.
The move aligns with Kenya’s long-standing commitment to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), which the country ratified in 2004. The new regulations are designed to be more comprehensive, addressing a wider range of existing and emerging tobacco and nicotine products not covered by previous warnings.
The GHW’s objective is to increase public awareness of health risks, discourage new users—especially youth —promote cessation, and overcome language and literacy barriers with clear, vivid visuals.
Duale underscored the Ministry’s dedication to robust tobacco control measures, emphasizing the critical role these warnings will play in the government’s public health agenda.
He stated that the new GHWs are a necessary measure to combat the significant health risks posed by tobacco use.
“Health must supersede the trade benefits of tobacco,” he declared, highlighting the urgent need for the new regulations.
