The Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (KETCA) is calling on president Uhuru Kenyatta to assent to the finance bill 2019 in a bid to reinforce the increment of excise tax on tobacco and alcohol.
KETCA says that this will go a long way in protecting the health and wellbeing of all kenyans. In an open letter to the president, the alliance highlighted that 4 out of 10 deaths in kenya are caused by alcohol according to a world health organization report.
The report also indicates that by 2020, the tobacco death toll is expected to reach 10million globally.
KETCA further says that tax price measures are one of the most effective controls to non-communicable diseases caused by tobacco and alcohol. The alliance has also called on government to limit the number of alcohol outlets that can be licenced within an area.
