During a public participation hearing hosted by the National Assembly Committee on Health, hospitality traders in Kisumu County protested a clause in the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill that would raise the legal smoking and nicotine‑product purchase age from 18 to 21 years.

Dan Ouma, chair of the Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya (PERAK) in Kisumu, questioned how venue operators would verify the new age limit, asking whether national identity cards would be required for every sale or if a new identification system would be introduced.

Ouma described the implementation plan as “completely vague,” noting that the bill does not specify the mechanisms for age verification or the administrative burden on businesses.

Traders also rejected a proposal to restrict tobacco sales within a 100‑metre radius of places frequented by children, arguing that existing laws already require enclosed smoking zones and that the new restriction would unnecessarily limit commercial activity.

A further point of contention was a clause mandating county governments to issue a separate tobacco‑trading licence, which business owners said would duplicate existing business permits and raise operating costs, contrary to Kenya’s ease‑of‑doing‑business agenda.

Health advocates and earlier hearings

The Kisumu pushback follows earlier stakeholder forums in Nairobi and Machakos, where health agencies and civil‑society groups expressed strong support for raising the age of consent for nicotine products.

Committee chair Dr. James Nyikal highlighted broad agreement among health stakeholders on the age‑increase proposal, noting that the amendment would simplify the committee’s workload when reviewing submissions.

Committee to compile final report

With public participation sessions concluding in Kisumu and Nanyuki, the National Assembly Committee on Health will retreat to incorporate feedback from both health advocates and private‑sector representatives before drafting its final recommendations for Parliament.