Mombasa traders oppose Tobacco regulations, call for public participation

Small business owners and retailers in Mombasa county have opposed the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024, that is before the Senate, saying it will kill hustlers' businesses and even encourage the sale of narcotics products in the black market.

They asked the Senate to conduct public participation on the Bill covering all the counties to get the views of stakeholders.

The traders who spoke after a meeting in a Mombasa hotel attended by more than 200 owners claimed the Bill, fronted by nominated senator Dr Catherine Mumma, proposes the introduction of a special license for cigarette sellers that will bar them from selling the tobacco products.

Mombasa County Bar Owners' Association chairperson Ms Faith Mwende called on the Senate to conduct fresh public participation that will take into account the views of small-scale traders.

"We want the Senate to conduct a countrywide pubic particular and have input from us. We know the Bill proposes a special license for the sale of tobacco products and this will kill our businesses," she argued.

She said that although they are stakeholders in the economy, they learnt about the Bill recently, just before the Senate went on recess.

She said small business owners demand that the process be inclusive and that fresh public participation be undertaken.

"Through the many proposed stringent measures, the owners of this Bill are simply saying that only big retailers and distributors will have access to the sale of the products - leaving us terribly disadvantaged," she said.

A trader from Bamburi in Kisauni subcounty, Ms Cindy Mwethya, opposed the Bill, saying that, if passed in its current form, it will lead to an increase in nicotine products in the black market.

"We are likely to see an increase in illicit trade in cigarettes and other nicotine products such as vapes and nicotine pouches." She said. "Such an effect will mean that legitimate business to us is significantly reduced as most people will go for the black-market products which will be cheaper and easier to access,"

The Bill proposes to give counties powers to require specific and separate licenses for sale of tobacco products.

But the traders argued that this was against the spirit of the single-business permit and would only make it more expensive to do business.

They stated that this would also open the gates for county officers to ask for bribes to facilitate the license processing.