Cigarette maker wants State to tackle illicits

BAT Kenya wants the Government to crack the whip on sale and distribution of counterfeited tobacco products.  The firm’s head of legal services Simukai Munjanganja called for stiffer penalties to the perpetrators.

“Where illicit traders use the infrastructure of legitimate economy to conduct their business, various costs and risks are imposed onto business,” said Munjanganja on Friday.

He noted that this was as part of the firm’s global campaign to fight the sale of illicit cigarettes. The move is part of a global campaign, developed by the cigarette maker to raise awareness of the facts around illegal tobacco trade to coincide with the World Health Organisation (WHO) world’s No Tobacco Day today.

The firm says between 400 to 600 billion cigarettes - the equivalent of 12 per cent of world consumption are illicit. “The nature and scale of the illegal tobacco trade and the approaches required to tackle it vary from country to country,” he said.

The global campaign by BAT comes at a time when the world’s attention has turned towards the fight against the sale of illicit cigarettes. He said the continued sale of illicit cigarettes and other products will affect the stability of most countries such as Kenya, other than affecting individual companies. “Illicit trade diminishes security,” Mr Munjanganja said in Nairobi. “It encourages wide spread criminality as it funds organised crime.” He suggested that Kenya strengthens the judiciary and other arms of government that are involved in the fight against anti-counterfeits and illicit products.

“We have noticed that the sale of illicit tobacco is sophisticated, highly organised where criminal networks manufacture, transport and distribute tobacco products illegally.”

He said the causes of the illegal tobacco trade include large excise increases causing price differences between countries and ineffective law enforcement measures.

Mr Munjanganja called on countries to take on a regional approach to fight the sale and distribution of cigarettes suggesting that independent initiatives have failed in the past.

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