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{
    "id": 234166,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/234166/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Chepkitony",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13,
        "legal_name": "Lucas Kipkosgei Chepkitony",
        "slug": "lucas-chepkitony"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Bill. I support this Bill fully because it is long overdue. It ought to have been brought before this House a long time ago. I have gone through the objects and purposes of this Bill and I am convinced that they adequately address issues to do with regulation of smoking, manufacturing and promotion of tobacco products. The Bill also stipulates how the law will be enforced. It is high time we controlled smoking in our country. Smoking has been proven beyond doubt to be harzadous to human health. It has been proven that tobacco smoking, or exposure to tobacco, causes certain types of cancer. Since it has been proven beyond doubt that tobacco use is harzadous to human health, we should not waste time allowing people to smoke recklessly and carelessly thus exposing even non-smokers to these dangers. I am looking forward to the implementation of this Bill once we pass it here so that we safeguard the lives of innocent Kenyans who are not smokers. We should also enforce various regulations which will discourage people from smoking. Our youth should not be exposed to tobacco smoking. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it will be beneficial to the society to see that we have punitive ways of discouraging smoking. In short, we shall also be able to control the manufacturers as far as the content of nicotine in various brands of cigarettes is concerned. They should conform to international standards so that their cigarettes contain amounts of nicotine which are not dangerous to smokers. Although the tobacco industry is beneficial to the economy of the country since the Government collects huge taxes from tobacco farmers and benefits from it, we should control smokers who have put their lives at risk. So long as we enforce the measures and regulations which are going to govern smoking and discourage young people from smoking, I think there will be no problem. Since time immemorial our fathers smoked, chewed tobacco or snuffed it. This is a traditional and cultural issue. This Bill does not mean we are banning smoking. Those who choose to chew, smoke or snuff it should do so privately. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have seen the composition of the Tobacco Products Regulatory Board. While its composition is okay as far as the Government and the public are concerned, I have not seen the representatives from farmers and manufacturers. They need to be included so that it is not seen to be one sided. They also need to be represented so that they can share knowledge in order to protect the public. I can see that the secretary to the Board should be a public health officer or his representative. I think this is going to be a full time job and we should appoint a full time secretary, not only representing the chief public health officer. I think we should have said that \"the chief public health officer will appoint a secretary who shall perform the duties of secretary on a full time basis\". This is an important industry and we would not like to risk the lives of Kenyans by not having a properly constituted Board. The Board has got to be effective. They have to implement and enforce the Bill. They have to carry out surveillance, check the cigarettes and ensure that the manufacturers are conforming with all that is required in the Bill. This Bill is providing for a legal framework for the regulation of the industry and it has to be really enforced so that it takes effect the way it is intended. With those few remarks, I support this Bill."
}