ISSUE 094, January 1-31, 2014
Unfiltered, uninhibited…just the gruesome truth
January 1- 31, 2014
ISSUE 094
A monthly newspaper by the Media Diversity Centre, a project of African Woman and Child Feature Service
Enjoying years of tobacco free environment Outlawing public smoking in the central business district helps make Nairobi a clean environment By HENRY OWINO Non-smokers in Nairobi are celebrating their seventh year of fresh air since the anti-tobacco public places smoking law was passed and enforced. Under the Tobacco Control Act, smoking in open public places was banned in the Central Business District (CBD) to the relief of the nonsmokers as a handful of designated spots were set aside for the chain smokers. These included Uhuru Park, Jevanjee Gardens and a spot near the public toilet on Koinange Street, next to the General Post Office.
Danger
This was to protect non-smokers from getting infected from diseases related to tobacco through second-hand smoke which is believed
to be very dangerous. It was later given more power by Tobacco Control Act, through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products to protect public health. The Food and Drug Administration authority has been regulating tobacco and its products since June 2009 and has been quite successful todate. Tobacco smoking and buying of cigarettes are banned to those below the age of 18. Through this law, many Nairobi residents have been protected from tobacco related diseases and early deaths. Second hand or Passive smoking is the inhalation of smoke by persons other than the intended “active” smoker. It occurs when tobacco
Nairobi County has designated tobacco smoking zones and tobacco smoking free zones in order to protect non-smokers. Pictures: Henry Owino
Continued on page 4
Read more Reject stories online at w w w. m d c a f r i c a . o r g
1