Controversy Over BAT-funded Youth Smoking Program in Kenya (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

Medics' Body and Tobacco Firm Disagree on Youth Programme
The East African
(Regional News Section, November 1-7, 1999)

By Dagi Kimani

(Nairobi, November, 409 words) A Programme to sensitise Kenyan youth to the
dangers of smoking, initiated by tobacco company BAT (K) Ltd and the Kenya
Medical Association, has failed following what industry sources termed
"intransigence" on the part of the medical body.

Investigations reveal that the programme's failure revolves around a
proposal for funding, to the tune of Ksh 4 million ($55,000), sent to BAT
by a public relations company on behalf of KMA's Tobacco Control Committee
(TCC).

Although BAT is said to have accepted the proposal in principle, things
began to go wrong on September, when Dr Paul Wangai, the chairman of the
TCC, wrote to the tobacco firm demanding that the company accede to the
association's conditions in just three days.

According to the documents made available to The EastAfrican the conditions
were that BAT agree, in writing, to the basic outline of the Shattering the
Myth awareness programme and undertake to commit at least Ksh 4 million to
the programme.

BAT's concession to the progress was supposed to be communicated to Dr
Wangai on September 30 during a TCC meeting at KMA's headquarters.

Speaking to The EastAfrican, Mr Keith Gretton, BAT's area manager for
corporate and regulatory affairs, said that it was regrettable that the
KMA-BAT initiative had failed due to lack of proper communication.

According to Mr Gretton, BAT will proceed to initiate its own programmes.

The KMA-BAT disagreement comes in the wake of a proposed anti-tobacco bill
that seeks to enforce stringent laws to regulate the sale and consumption
of tobacco products. According to the Minister for Public Health, Prof Sam
Ongeri, the bill will be tabled in parliament soon.

If enacted, there will be unprecedented changes in the retailing and
advertising of tobacco products in the country, including the introduction
of an 11-member Tobacco Products (Regulatory) Board to oversee the
production and marketing of tobacco products.

In measures intended to limit access to cigarettes by minors, the bill
proposes that tobacco products be kept behind the counter at all retail
outlets and prohibits retailers from opening cigarette sticks to consumers.

Analysts say if enacted, the law will deal a major blow to the tobacco
industry in Kenya, where BAT is the largest player.

According to the company's annual report, the firm last year contracted
22,000 tobacco farmers who earned Ksh717 million (about $1 million) from
the production of 13,318 tonnes of the crop